Popular casual dining chain Panera Bread has reached its first settlement in a series of lawsuits alleging the consumption of some of the company’s beverages has caused permanent injury or wrongful death.

The settlement was the result of a wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of 21-year-old college student, Sarah Katz. Katz’s loved ones say that she passed away after consuming the now-discontinued Charged Lemonades that were sold exclusively at Panera Bread. These highly popular drinks were advertised alongside carbonated beverages and morning brews. However, the marketing promoting these drinks failed to include information about the high levels of caffeine contained in them, the lawsuit maintained. In 2022, Katz passed away in an area hospital afer she collapsed following her consumption of the highly caffeinated beverage.

The wrongful death lawsuit detailed that Katz had been diagnosed with a heart condition as a child. As a result, she actively avoided energy drinks because of their high caffeine content. However, the drink’s poor marketing misled Katz into thinking it was a safe drink to consume.

The lawsuit detailed that the "Charged" in the "Charged Lemonade" marketing led Katz to believe that the drink was referring to electrolytes, similar to Gatorade's marketing. The lawsuit explained that Katz was "reasonably confident it was a traditional lemonade and/or electrolyte sports drink containing a reasonable amount of caffeine safe for her to drink.”

Katz was a member of the chain’s “Sip Club,” a subscription membership that allowed guests to refill their drinks including Charged Lemonades as many times as they would like within a 2-hour period. Without knowing the danger the drink posed to her, Katz regularly used her subscriptions to consume beverages that were allowed under the membership.

The lawsuit also highlighted that the large Charged Lemonade has 390 mg of caffeine in it, an amount that well exceeds caffeine levels in energy drinks like a Monster or RedBull drink. However, the lineup of Charged Lemonade flavors were improperly advertised as a "clean" drink. The advertisements even indicated that Charged Lemonades had the same amount of caffeine “as a dark roast coffee."

The complaint also highlighted that the highly caffeinated drink was “offered side-by-side with all of Panera’s non-caffeinated and/or less caffeinated drinks.”

After Katz’s passing, Panera Bread issued a statement that read, “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.”

Following a string of lawsuits against the company because of its caffeinated beverages, Panera discontinued its line of Charged Lemonades. The company explained that the decision to discontinue the line was part of a “recent menu transformation.” Neither Panera nor the family’s attorney have shared the amount of the settlement.

The lawsuit on behalf of Katz is not the only one on file against the company and its controversial Charged Lemonades. At least four related lawsuits have been filed against the company. Among them include the death of 46-year-old Fleming Island, Florida resident, Dennis Brown. Another lawsuit names 28-year-old Lauren Skerritt of Rhode Island who allegedly suffered “permanent injury” because of the drink.

Panera Bread initially petitioned to have the case dismissed. A judge, however, denied the request.