Lawsuit claims caffeinated lemonade drink from Panera responsible for second wrongful death

Panera Bread is facing a second wrongful death lawsuit after a 46-year-old Florida man allegedly died after consuming the restaurant's Charged Lemonade drink.

The lawsuit states that Panera's caffeinated lemonade ultimately led to the death of Dennis Brown after he went into cardiac arrest and passed away soon after leaving the restaurant, according to WFXT.

The caffeinated lemonade beverage, as with many so-called energy drinks, claims to give the consumer a much-needed boost. The restaurant boasts that the beverage is plant-based and clean. However, the lemonade is loaded with 390 milligrams of caffeine, which is close to the FDA's 400-milligram daily limit.

The report says that the lawsuit claims Brown had been drinking the charge lemonade for six days straight, as he was apparently a member of the restaurant's Sip Club, which allows participants to order unlimited drinks.

Panera subsequently issued a statement following Brown's death, writing: "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. We view this lawsuit which was filed by the same law firm as a previous claim to be equally without merit. Panera stands firmly by the safety of our products.”

However, Brown was not the first person to have passed away in connection with Panera's caffeine-riddled beverage.

Sarah Katz, 21, apparently suffered two cardiac arrests and later died after consuming the beverage in October. As a result, her family sued the restaurant, claiming Katz did not know the beverage contained so much caffeine and sugar.

After Katz's death, a spokesperson for the Food and Drug Administration shared the following with NBC News: "The FDA is saddened to hear of the passing of a consumer and as always, takes seriously reports of illnesses or injury from regulated products. At this point, we are gathering information about this event."

The FDA went on to say that it consistently keeps an eye on FDA-regulated products present in the marketplace and "takes action as appropriate, including collaborating with the Federal Trade Commission regarding marketing claims."

In both cases, the families of Brown and Katz said that the two had conditions that would have kept them away from the drink if they knew how much caffeine it contained. Brown suffered from high blood pressure, and Katz had a pre-existing heart condition.

Both lawsuits claim that if Panera had accurately advertised the ingredients in the Charged Lemonade, the customers would not have purchased it and would not have passed away in the manner they did.

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