A Rhode Island woman sues Panera Bread due to the caffeine health risks of its charged lemonade.
The woman, Lauren Skerritt, 28, is suing the company for its highly caffeinated drink called charged lemonade, which allegedly caused her to have permanent cardiac injuries.
Rhode Island Woman Sues Panera Bread
Skerritt is an occupational therapist and athlete, who regularly competes in obstacle course races. Through the years of playing, she was stated to have no underlying health problems and has always appeared healthy.
However, due to the cardiac injuries she suffered, she now has a heart problem and needs daily medication that has hampered her ability to work, socialize, and exercise.
The woman was reported to have drank 2½ Charged Lemonade drinks from a Panera cafe in Greenville, Rhode Island, on April 8. After finishing her drink, she started experiencing palpitations, and the next day, Skerritt was rushed to the emergency room of the hospital.
According to the lawsuit against Panera Bread, Skerritt has since had recurrent episodes of rapid heartbeat that occur suddenly and without pattern.
Skerritt's husband, Christopher Skerritt, also added that her wife continues to experience supraventricular tachycardia with associated shortness of breath, brain fog, body shakes, palpitations, and weakness. He also said that both of them are planning to start their own family but have put it on hold due to the current circumstances.
Her condition has since evolved into a series of health issues, including recurrent rapid heartbeats, breathlessness, and cognitive impairment, profoundly affecting her work, social life, and physical capabilities.
Panera Bread's Complaints Against Its Caffeinated Drink
The Rhode Island woman's lawsuit is not an isolated incident in the series of legal challenges faced by Panera Bread.
Previously, the company has been sued over the same Charged Lemonade, linking it to the deaths of two individuals with pre-existing health conditions.
This lawsuit represents at least the third legal action taken against Panera in recent times concerning their Charged Lemonade product.
The earlier two lawsuits, filed in October and December, subsequent to Skerritt's incident with the drink, attributed the fatalities of a student from an Ivy League university who had a heart-related medical condition and an individual in Florida with a genetic disorder to the consumption of this beverage.
Panera has not immediately responded to the lawsuit filed on Tuesday. In previous instances, the company conveyed condolences to the families involved in the earlier lawsuits.
After the second lawsuit, Panera released a statement asserting their belief that the tragic demise of the customer was not linked to any of their products, reaffirming their confidence in the safety of their menu offerings.
It has been reported that the Charged Lemonade drink of the company has higher caffeine contents than normally other caffeinated drinks. Legal proceedings have called for the company to become more transparent to raise consumer awareness of the marketing of such products.
This Panera lawsuit represents a significant moment in the discourse surrounding food safety and corporate accountability.
Legal representatives for Skerritt argue that the Charged Lemonade is not only high in caffeine but also defectively designed, posing an unforeseen risk to consumers. On the other side, Panera Bread has expressed sympathy for the affected individuals but stands by the safety of their menu items.
The lawsuit challenges the norms of product safety standards and consumer protection, especially in the context of widely consumed food and beverage products.
