Panera Bread has recently settled a wrongful death lawsuit with the family of Sarah Katz, a former Penn student. Sarah Katz, who had a heart condition called Long QT syndrome, passed away after consuming a Charged Lemonade drink from a Philadelphia Panera Bread. Her parents, Jill and Michael Katz, were devastated by the loss of their daughter and had been searching for answers regarding the cause of her sudden cardiac arrest.
In an exclusive interview with CBS News Philadelphia, Jill and Michael Katz shared that Sarah had avoided energy drinks due to her heart condition. They recounted the heartbreaking experience of receiving a phone call about their daughter collapsing at a restaurant and rushing to the hospital, only to be unable to save her. It wasn’t until months later, when they were cleaning out Sarah’s apartment, that they learned from her roommate about her consumption of Panera Bread’s Charged Lemonade.
According to her roommate, Sarah had started drinking the Charged Lemonades, unaware of its caffeine content, as she had always stayed away from energy drinks. This revelation left the Katzes with a sense of disbelief and regret, as they knew Sarah would have never consumed the drink had she been aware of its ingredients. Subsequently, they discovered that other lawsuits had been filed over the Charged Lemonade drink, prompting Panera Bread to remove it from their menu.
The settlement of the wrongful death lawsuit brings some closure to the Katz family, although the details of the agreement remain undisclosed. As they continue to mourn the loss of their daughter, they hope that her story will serve as a cautionary tale for others to be aware of what they consume, especially if they have underlying health conditions.
Panera Bread has yet to provide a comment on the matter, but the removal of the Charged Lemonade drink from their menu signals a potential acknowledgment of the harm it may have caused. As the Katz family navigates their grief and seeks justice for Sarah, their story sheds light on the importance of transparency and awareness in the food and beverage industry to prevent similar tragedies from occurring in the future.
