A female athlete is suing Panera Bread over claims she suffered heart problems caused by its Charged Lemonade which can contain as much caffeine as three cans of Red Bull.
Lauren Skerritt, 28, from Smithfield, Rhode Island, became the third person to file a lawsuit against the chain after two others suffered fatal heart attacks.
The obstacle course racer claimed she had an irregular heartbeat the day after she drank two and a half servings of Panera Bread’s Charged Lemonade on April 8.
Skerritt was rushed to an emergency room on April 9 and doctors diagnosed her with atrial fibrillation which can lead to stroke and other complications, the lawsuit filed in Delaware superior court on Tuesday alleges.
It comes after the families of Sarah Katz, 21, and Dennis Brown, 46, sued Panera over allegations its Charged Lemonade is responsible for their fatal heart attacks.
Female athlete Lauren Skerritt is suing Panera Bread over claims she suffered heart problems caused by its Charged Lemonade which can contain as much caffeine as three cans of Red Bull
The 28-year-old obstacle course racer, from Smithfield, Rhode Island claimed she had an irregular heartbeat the day after she drank two and a half servings of Panera Bread’s Charged Lemonade on April 8
It comes after the families of Sarah Katz, 21, and Dennis Brown, 46, sued Panera over allegations its Charged Lemonade, which has can contain up to 390 milligrams of caffeine, is responsible for their fatal heart attacks
Skerritt bought Panera Bread’s Charged Lemonade from a store in Greenville on April 8 and claims she suffered an irregular heartbeat the next day which saw her rushed to hospital.
A large charged lemonade contains 390 milligrams of caffeine which is more than a Red Bull and Monster energy drink combined.
The lawsuit alleges that she has since experienced ‘recurrent episodes of rapid heartbeat that occur suddenly and without pattern’.
‘Lauren continues to experience supraventricular tachycardia with associated shortness of breath, palpitations, brain fog, difficulty thinking and concentrating, body shakes, and weakness,’ the complaint first seen by NBC News states.
She and her husband have had to delay plans to have a child as ‘she will have a high-risk pregnancy and may have complications during the pregnancy’, according to the lawsuit.
UPenn student Katz died on September 10, 2022, just hours after she consumed a large charged lemonade from a Panera in Philadelphia. She also suffered from a heart condition.
Her family served the company with a lawsuit in October which stated that Panera did not properly warn consumers about the ingredients in their ‘dangerous energy drink’.
She ‘consumed the Panera Charged Lemonade, reasonably confident it was a traditional lemonade’ or an ‘electrolyte sports drink containing a reasonable amount of caffeine safe for her to drink’, the lawsuit stated.
But she suffered a cardiac arrest while dining with her friends on the same day.
Katz’s parents filed the suit against the popular American chain restaurant in an attempt to make others understand the dangers of the drink.
The wrongful death lawsuit claimed that the charged lemonade was ‘offered side-by-side with all of Panera’s non-caffeinated and/or less caffeinated drinks.’
It also stated that the drink was advertised as a ‘plant-based and clean’ beverage option that contained the same amount of caffeine as the brand’s dark roast coffee.
Nutritional facts on Panera’s website suggest otherwise, as a large dark roast coffee is 268 milligrams.
A large charged lemonade, the equivalent of 30 fluid ounces also has an astounding 98 grams of sugar in one serving- compared to a can of Coca-Cola which has 39 grams of sugar.
UPenn student Sarah Katz died on September 10, 2022, just hours after she consumed a large charged lemonade from a Panera in Philadelphia
Katz’s parents filed a lawsuit against the popular American chain restaurant in an attempt to make others understand the dangers of the drink
Victoria Rose Conroy (right) was Katz’s former roommate and close friend who described her as an excellent student that was ‘the most involved and passionate person’ she ever met. Conroy added that her friend never let her heart condition stop her from pursuing her goals
UPenn held a candlelit vigil for Kat’s back in 2022 after her death. Candles and green ribbons were handed out as her close friends spoke about the impact she had on their lives. They also covered the LOVE sculpture on campus with pictures of her and flowers
The lawsuit said: ‘These unregulated beverages include no warning of any potentially dangerous effects, even the life-threatening effects on blood pressure, heart rate, and/or brain function.’
Katz, who was originally from Jersey City, was diagnosed with Long QT syndrome, a condition that causes arrhythmia in the heart when she was five years old.
She regularly avoided caffeinated drinks and attended frequent doctor’s visits that concluded that ‘everything was normal’, Elizabeth Crawford, the lawyer representing the case said.
A Panera spokesman said at the time: ‘We were very saddened to learn this morning about the tragic passing of Sarah Katz, and our hearts go out to her family.
‘At Panera, we strongly believe in transparency around our ingredients. We will work quickly to thoroughly investigate this matter.’
The family of Brown filed a second wrongful death lawsuit against Panera Bread after he suffered a fatal cardiac arrest when he consumed three of the chain’s highly caffeinated Charged Lemonade.
Their lawsuit alleges that he went into cardiac arrest on October 9 just after he left his local branch of Panera Bread in Fleming Island.
The family of Dennis Brown filed a second wrongful death lawsuit against Panera Bread after he suffered a fatal cardiac arrest when he consumed three of the chain’s highly caffeinated ‘Charged Lemonade’
Panera Bread released their charged lemonades back in 2022. The flavored drinks were tried by many social media influencers who were blown away by the energy the drink gave them
The restaurant chain is worth $5.8billion and has nearly 2,200 stores across the US
He was found unresponsive on the sidewalk and pronounced dead on the scene.
According to the lawsuit, Mr Brown, who lived with developmental disabilities and high blood pressure, had started ordering the drinks consistently three weeks before his death.
At the time, a Panera spokesman said: ‘Panera expresses our deep sympathy for Mr. Brown’s family.
‘Based on our investigation, we believe his unfortunate passing was not caused by one of the company’s products.’
The plaintiffs who have filed the three lawsuits are being represented by personal injury lawyer Crawford. Panera Bread said the previous two lawsuits were ‘equally without merit’.
Panera Bread released their charged lemonades back in 2022 as they took the internet by storm.
Many social media influencers who tried the drink were blown away by the energy the drink gave them.
The restaurant chain is worth $5.8billion and has nearly 2,200 stores across the US.
DailyMail.com has contacted Panera Bread for comment.