An 18-year-old high school student went into cardiac arrest after drinking a caffeine-laden lemonade from Panera Bread, according to a lawsuit filed weeks after the national chain said it phasing out the controversial drink.
The lawsuit, filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, follows at least three other complaints filed against Panera over its highly caffeinated, sugary drinks called Charged Sips. The previous lawsuits alleged the drink caused two deaths and long-term heart problems another customer in Rhode Island.
The latest lawsuit alleges that Luke Adams of Monroeville, Pennsylvania, had to be resuscitated at a movie theater after a friend heard him making unusual noises on the evening of March 9, 2024. The incident occurred just hours after the teen consumed a chicken sandwich. and a large Mango Yuzu Citrus Charged Lemonade from a local Panera eatery.
Family of Luke Adams
Adams was unaware that the Charged Lemonade that a Panera employee had filled for him was a super energy drink containing high amounts of caffeine, sugar and guarana, according to the complaint, which noted that the drink contains 390 milligrams of caffeine without ice and 237 milligrams of caffeine with ice . ice.
A cardiologist and two nurses, also in the theater, performed CPR on Adams, whose heart had been shocked by an automated external defibrillator, the complaint said. Adams suffered two seizures after being rushed to the hospital, the complaint said.
“Luke’s cardiac arrest would have been prevented if Panera had removed this dangerous product from its shelves after three lawsuits were filed,” said Elizabeth Crawford, a partner at the Philadelphia-based law firm Kline & Spector, which is representing Adams and plaintiffs in three other lawsuits. to Panera, CBS told MoneyWatch in an email.
Panera did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The restaurant chain had said this before its products were safe.
Panera is a privately owned company of the German investment company JAB Holding Co. and operates more than 2,000 dining locations in the U.S. and Canada.
