Parents sue Panera Bread, claiming Charged Lemonade caused their daughter’s death and demanding changes

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — Nearly two years have passed since Sarah Katz, a student at the University of Pennsylvania, died suddenly. In an exclusive interview with CBS News Philadelphia, Katz’s parents spoke for the first time about their tragedy.

Katz had a heart condition and said she never “Charged Lemonade” by Panera Bread if she had known what was in it. Well, she Family sues restaurant chain because they claimed there was no warning to consumers about the amount of caffeine and stimulants in the drink.

According to the Katze family’s lawsuit, a large supercharged lemonade had more caffeine than a similarly sized combination of a Red Bull and a Monster Energy Drinkand they believe their daughter had no idea.

When Sarah Katz was 5 years old, her mother said she had a seizure during a swimming lesson. She was diagnosed with long QT syndrome and soon began taking daily medication. Her parents say she didn’t experience another incident until September 2022, when she was a successful college student in Philadelphia.

Jill and Michael Katz said they got a call that their daughter had collapsed at a restaurant. They rushed from their Jersey City home and drove straight to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center.

The Katzes said when they arrived, medical staff tried to resuscitate Sarah, but they could not save her.

In addition to the painful and shocking loss of their daughter, Jill and Michael Katz had no answer as to what caused their daughter’s cardiac arrest and death.

It was only when they returned to Philadelphia a few months later to clear out their apartment that they learned new information from their roommate, who had begun gathering clues after her death.

“She says, ‘I think I know what happened to Sarah,’ and I wasn’t sure whether I should talk to you about it or not,” Jill Katz said of the conversation with her daughter’s former roommate. “But you know, she recently started drinking these Panera Charged Lemonades, and she knew Sarah doesn’t like energy drinks, and there’s a big one in the apartment.”

The Katzes discovered that Sarah had purchased and consumed a Charged Lemonade at Panera on South 40th Street in Philadelphia.

A lawsuit filed on behalf of the family states that Charged Lemonade was sold alongside all of Panera’s other caffeine-free and/or less caffeinated beverages and was not advertised as an energy drink.

Jill and Michael said Sarah avoids energy drinks because she has a heart condition called long QT syndrome, in which the electrical activity of the heart is disrupted.

The Katzes said Sarah’s doctor told her to avoid energy drinks in particular.

According to their lawsuit, a large Charged Lemonade at Panera contains more caffeine and sugar than a Red Bull and a Monster energy drink combined.

Now they have decided to share their story to make others aware of products that may not have ingredient warnings.

“For many adults, caffeine may be safe in certain amounts, but not in unlimited amounts,” said Lindsay Moyer, a senior nutritionist at the Center for Science in the Public Interest.

Two months before Sarah’s death, Moyer wrote an article titled “Food Fail: Panera Charged Lemonades.”

“People may not realize how much caffeine the supercharged soda contains,” Moyer said.

In an email to CBS News Philadelphia, an FDA spokesperson said, among other things:

“Under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), companies are responsible for ensuring that the use of caffeine in their foods is safe. Safe use of the ingredient includes the amount expected to be consumed. Packaged foods are required to list caffeine as an ingredient in the ingredients list, but listing the amount of caffeine in a food or beverage is voluntary.”

The Katzes say the first step is to remove paid sodas from Panera’s menu.

In May, CBS Money Watch reported, Product has been discontinued. Charged Lemonade is no longer on the online menu.

Panera did not respond to requests for comment for this story, but after the lawsuit was filed in 2023, Panera issued a statement saying, “We were very saddened to learn of Sarah Katz’s tragic death this morning, and our condolences go out to her family. At Panera, we strongly believe in transparency regarding our ingredients. We will work quickly to thoroughly investigate this matter.”

In response to the lawsuit filed by Jill and Michael Katz, Panera denied any responsibility for their deaths.

“The big picture is the ultimate regulation of energy drinks,” said Jill Katz. “We need to provide transparency to consumers and the public so that people have a choice. They can make an informed decision about what is right for them.”

Sarah’s parents filed the lawsuit against Panera in October last year. The trial is scheduled for September in Philadelphia. Her lawyer represents three other families who are also suing Panera over the questionable lemonade.