A family in Florida is suing Panera Bread over a man's death. Their lawsuit alleges 46-year-old Dennis Brown died from drinking Panera's Charged Lemonade drink. They filed suit yesterday, almost two months after he died of cardiac arrest. He had an unspecified chromosomal deficiency disorder, a developmental delay and a mild intellectual disability. He lived independently, frequently stopping at Panera after his shifts at a supermarket, the legal complaint says. Because he had high blood pressure, he did not consume energy drinks, it adds.
The lawyer for Brown's family says the only thing that changed in the weeks before Brown's death, health-wise, was that he started drinking the Charged Lemonades. He had three the day that he died.
Dennis BrownPhoto: Brown Family
Each drink has almost 400 milligrams of caffeine. That's the FDA's suggested daily maximum intake. Panera Bread denies the drink led to Brown's death, and it says it stands firmly by the safety of its products.
This is the second time this year that it's been alleged that Panera's highly-caffeinated drink led to death.