The young woman is responsible for what she drinks. It’s sad but don’t blame Panera.

Back in July I order a large lemonade in through the drive thru and they gave me a charged one. It tasted weird to me so I went in and asked why it tasted different. They told me why and I explained to them that I get heart palpitations and couldn’t have it. The person behind the counter told me they didn’t even consider that could have been an issue. I feel so bad for this young women. And if anything, Panera should have stronger labeling

Panera didn't take her out. Natural slection took her out. It literally said it had caffeine on it on the sign.

Why order the large drink instead of small or regular size if you’re sensitive to caffeine?

She was an adult who knew about her own medical condition.

When I went to Panera, my 6 year old daughter wanted a lemonade and I noticed right away one was caffeinated and a regular one was not. Because she’s 6 of course I wouldn’t want her to have the caffeinated one. I’m trying to understand how you’d see something with caffeine and drink the largest size possible knowing you have a heart condition. I feel very bad for the family, but if I would have given my own daughter something with that much caffeine it could have harmed her and I’d be responsible. I’d imagine the same for any adult. I don’t think Panera can be held liable since they clearly show which drinks have caffeine. They even put non-caffeine drinks in a different part of the menu.

Caffeine amounts are posted right on the fountain, and the drink is the size of a bucket. Frivolous.

It's clearly NOT Panera's fault! The girl should've known better!! I feel sorry that they lost their daughter, but her parents shouldn't blame Panera for their daughter's action.

Guaranteed, Panera will now do away with those caffeinated Lemonades because the caffeine-sensitive person with a heart condition decided to get a “caffeine charged lemonade” in the LARGEST SIZE POSSIBLE. As always, everyone has to suffer for the carelessness or outright stupidity of the few. The 3rd ADULT female on the panel who said in a whiny voice that she “doesn’t have enough self-control to handle that much access to caffeine” SAYS IT ALL. Unbelievable

Caffeine in lemonade?

For many years I worked 3rd Shift and hated it but I had to do it at that time in my life. I can’t tell you how many people I worked with that regularly drank these extra loaded caffeinated drinks such as Monster, Red Bull, 5 hour energy drinks, etc. These drinks are not good for everyone. My coworker had to go to the ER with heart palpitations, she stopped drinking extra extra caffeinated drinks.

sorry your daughter won a darwin award, guys. but i hope this frivolous lawsuit is thrown out of court.

I don’t know how people can drink that much caffeine all in one go. I quit consuming it just over two months ago because just two cups of coffee (100 milligrams) before noon was preventing me from sleeping at night.

That’s always been a consideration for a business…the utter stupidity of the consumer.

The signs are very clearly labeled with the amount of caffeine that the drinks contain. I am sorry for the family's loss. However, it was on the girl who has the heart condition to read the signage properly before consuming the beverage. That's on her.

Restaurants cannot cater to everybody with health issues. You have to assume some responsibility when you're dining out and maybe not order a 30 oz drink. I don't see how you can hold a restaurant responsible.

I’m sorry but this is definitely not Panera’s fault at all. She’s the one who didn’t pay well enough attention to what she ordered especially knowing she has a condition. Seeing the word charged is all I would need to see honestly

Not sure you can blame a company that states the amount of caffeine in a drink and consumer knowingly drinks it.

Every time I’ve gotten one, they have extremely clear labels of caffeine content.

But why did she order lemonade drink even she’s aware that it had caffeine if she had heart condition? I’m sorry but It’s most likely their lawsuit will be thrown out since they probably put warning label for people with conditions.

I am deathly allergic to tree nuts, and I am the captain of my ship. If I don't ask for the ingredients and then die, the fault is on me. If I do ask, and they fail to disclose tree nuts, then the liability is on them.

If I had such a threat to my life, I would be ultra prudent about making certain that what I was drinking was ok for me. Still I do feel for the family. It hurts to lose a loved one no matter what the circumstances. ❤

Imagine suing for her death because she didnt read the label that clearly says how much caffeine

OMG, PEOPLE JUST WANT EASY MONEY. WHY DID SHE BUY IT?

*Condolences to the families who lost loved one due to this lemonade*

I thought this would be a food poisoning death lawsuit but instead it is about charged lemonade uh 1. The word has charged in it 2. Panera has always put it’s ingredients/nutritional facts online

Seriously, this is absolutely ridiculous! She should know what she can drink and not drink. She was an adult.

it is called "charged". Case dismissed.

The name of the drink gives away what you are drinking.

If you have such allergies you are responsible for asking questions. Same with peanut allergies. Should be thrown out of court.

losing someone you love, to something stupid will leave you bitter and looking for someone to blame. is easier to blame than to accept the daughter did something utterly stupid. I don't think the lawsuit is frivolous, its just misguided emotions. It is meritless however so it will likely fail.

It’s like every alcoholic should sue liquor store where they get their stuff

That is absolutely insane and I am sorry for the family.

I don't get it. Panera didn't accidentally give her the caffeinated version. They didn't mislabel the drink. Was the girl unaware of her condition? Was she unaware of the caffeine content, or just how sensitive she was? That's very sad. Seems like playing with fire to go for a huge, somewhat caffeinated drink, if you have any idea of the potential consequences. Lawsuits happen so regularly, as common practice, it doesn't even matter who's 'at fault'.

I don't mean to victim blame/shame but this was avoidable. All she had to do was request to see th restaurants nutrition fact sheet for all the items they currently serve. Also when I hear a drink is charged I assume that means it either has alcohol or lots of caffeine. 😂😂

i'm deathly allergic to strawberries. I make certain my drinks don't contain strawberries.

It's called a "charged lemonade" for a reason.

Some guy did an experiment by going around to different places and tested how much caffeine is in their drinks and showed that the drinks contained way more caffeine than what is advertised. They know caffeine is an addictive substance that releases dopamine. I consume caffeine everyday but I keep track of how much I consume. About a spoon and a half of instant coffee gets me going. Businesses add more caffeine to their drinks to get repeat customers.

She had a heart condition most of her life. Young people are aware of caffeinated drinks. Next time I go to a fast food restaurant and eat. I’m going to sue them because my feet swell up due to sodium levels.

This is why Panera moved the drinks behind the counter. They used to have them out so you could get as many refills as you wanted

Panera should not be getting sued. She’ was aware she had a heart condition and aware there was caffeine. It’s not their fault.

The stupidity of people ruin it for everyone else, I rather drink this than red bull or monster. I work over 70hrs a week, I run on this drink everyday. I also don’t down it like there’s no tomorrow but gradually sip it just like how I would with coffee. Dumbasses are the ones who ruin a good thing for everyone else

before I drank something called a "charged lemonade" I'd be asking my healthcare provider first.

It’s not Panera’s fault there’s a reason there’s signs on the machines that give the details about the caffeine in them

I stopped watching at 1:24

Do people not realize how much caffeine is in chain coffee like Starbucks? A Venti blonde roast has 475mg of caffeine. A Venti cappuccino drink, 225mg. Energy drinks have rarely had even as much caffeine as regular coffee.

1. The girl shouldn’t have had any drinks with caffeine if she had a condition that she knew about. 2. 30 oz drink is not a normal serving size. so if you drink that much alcohol can you sue them for not making it as transparent to you. 3. There’s a sign on the drink container that tells you how much caffeine so if she really tried to avoid caffeinated drink, she avoided the sign on the machine. I understand the parents are upset but that is due to their negligence.

Look guys, you cannot order drinks in public with health issues. YOU JUST CAN'T! As a diabeteic that became type II around age 30, I learned real fast that restaurant workers believe diet coke and coke zero are the same. Want unsweet tea? They will bring you sweet tea half the time, if you add splenda before tasting then you likely won't notice.

It was her choice buying it knowing her own condition. Crazy

lol that thing has almost twice the amount of caffeine in a monster drink.

I got a “jacked up java” from a gas station that claimed to have 50% more caffein than regular coffee! Not gonna lie, it ruled!

So she knew she had a heart condition and couldn't handle large amounts of caffeine, yet she ordered the Mega Gulp-sized charged lemonade? Yeah, this isn't Panera's fault at all. The parents just can't accept that their daughter wasn't using her common sense

Caffeine content is posted. case dismissed

College doesn't make you smart or smarter. Has a heart issue chooses charged lemonade over lemonade . .. you think a nice looking college girl would want to know what is in a product called charges lemonade vs lemonade. She knew the risk she was taking by consuming caffeine in medical condition. For the average hralthy adult caffeine toxicity starts aroubd 2000mg . She consumed 400mg . They should also figure out if she had another caffeine drinks with her risk factors being so sensitive to caffeine a can of coke could cause her caffeine toxicity.

Misleading at best. If you can put CHARGED in big letters on the cup, put the caffeine amount right next to it in large bold font. That's what they are putting on energy drink cans right now in Canada....

She was of sound and reasonable mind to make the decision to knowingly ingest the caffinated beverage. She was also aware of her heart condition and took the risk, thinking it had a safe amount of caffiene. I think the family wants retribution for their daughter making a decision she was fully aware of... which doesn't make sense to me.

Imma go sue Starbucks? Really? dumbest lawsuit I hope they get ZERO MONEY

This is why we can't have peanut butter at school. The family should be counter sued for defamation.

Welcome to America, where you can sue sue sue for ones own carelessness. I'm sorry for the family's loss but wow, hard for someone to take responsibility of their own actions.

why would she drink this when it is clearly stated on the lemonade. You can see the caffeine amount and sugar. This case is baseless.

If it were labeled as they said the family already lost the case. Sounds like they already knew she was caffeine sensitive. I wonder if her mother was with her and why was nothing mentioned it’s really sad 😢

This is tragic, but it’s not Panera’s fault here. She should’ve been more careful in doing her research on what she consumed. I can’t blame a restaurant if I’m allergic to peanuts and come into contact with peanuts at their establishment if I don’t do my due diligence (e.g. researching the restaurant beforehand, asking the waiter about the menu options, etc.) Edit: if I tell the waiter/restaurant that I cannot have peanuts and order something that has not come into any contact with peanuts, and then the restaurant still serves me contaminated food, then that’s absolutely the restaurant’s fault. But it’s on me if I don’t inform them of my allergy and don’t ask which menu items are safe for me to eat.

Imagine that. You knew and allowed it. Id Sue the parents.

A 21yo college student should be able to read. Sad but it's her own fault.

Aint no way they winning the case. You are fully aware of your health condition and you proceed to order something clearly labeled. But to each their own, everyone deserves to seek justice for their family members.

Wait… so like sorry for your loss… but everything has a caffeine level or nutritional guide for every item on menus or wherever. Even if you go to the menu online it shows the caffeine content!!!!!

Panera will lose if they have a jury trial. Panera did list the ingredients on the drink dispenser and probably on the menu. But I believe a lawyer will win the case because they didn't put it on the cups.

They clearly tell you on the dispenser how much caffeine is in them. I routinely get them, and since I'm sensitive to caffeine, as in it doesn't take much to keep me up or make me jittery, i dilute them with half water, and lots of ice. It's sad the girl died, but it's clearly labeled where you serve yourself the drink. It's 30oz so even if you add the 12 oz red bull and 16 oz monster, that's 28 oz. Why if she can't drink a 12 oz red bull would she think a CAFFEINE CHARGED lemonade in 30oz would have less caffeine than a 12 oz red bull, that her family says she doesn't drink. Not Panera's fault that she drank something she shouldn't have in an amount larger thank SHE could handle. Plenty of people drink this full strength in large size with no issues. She made a bad decision, just like a person drinking too much alcohol and getting alcohol poisoning. Know your limits and read the label on the dispenser, it's clearly written.

This was her responsibility to ask and make certain that it was safe for her to drink.

That lemonade was lit.

Maybe she was suicidal? Can't think of why someone *that* sensitive to caffeine would drink 390 ml of it...

What did she think charged meant?

I hope Panera wins. No one forced her to drink caffine, additionally how can it be proven leagally that the lemonade was the only source of caffein or the direct cause of death. Did she eat a cookie too? cholocate has caffine. To put the blame on 1 drink 1 company and 1 source for the entire time period is not reasonable.

It says "CHARGED!!!" In capital all over the cup. Red on black! So just stop it! They should sue themselves for not teaching their kid to read and understand basic sh1t. PS: Energy drink don't have that much more caffeine either, that's all marketing. So just fkn stop.

There are some interesting parallels between this case and New York City's brief but (in)famous "sugary drink portion cap rule". Unless one is drinking water from a 30 l-ounce cup, they're likely to ingest A LOT of whatever's in the drink, whether it's sugar, caffeine, or some other ingredient. And if a "serving" of water is 8 ounces, and a "serving" of a high-caffeine soft drink like Mountain Dew is 12 ounces (the serving size stated on a 2-lliter bottle), then that 30-ounce cup contains somewhere between 2½ and 3¾ servings. That begs the question...what would she or her family think about drinking 3 12-oz cans of Mountain Dew in one sitting (at 55 mg of caffeine per can)? It underscores just how easy it is to unwittingly underestimate the contents of a "big gulp" type cup. That's not to say that large cups should be banned, but it definitely shows how easy it is for all of us to consume WAY more than we are aware of...our intentions are not necessarily aligned with reality, and we often don't notice the difference unless someone points it out for us (hence the need for regulatory guidance concerning nutrition, ingredients, etc... assuming we even pay attention to it.)

I can barley handle one red bull, let alone 30 ounces of it

Your weaknesses are your responsibility. Personal responsibility needs to make a comeback.

So what they're saying is many americans lack the common sense of being responsible for their own proper actions and act as children who blame others for their own faults. So, when things hit a horrible turn, they still refuse to acknowledge what they've done wrong. Instead of reading, researching, and possibly stopping to heed warnings---its easier for them to not do any of this, and "take the arrow to the knee" whilst "playing with fire". It is sad but if there are already present issues, be more cautious and wary of what is intake. As someone with family members with different kinds of health issues, it doesnt hurt to admit a mistake rather blaming others. Recklessness and , even too much trust, will always get us at some point. While this case is about a life that cannot be taken back, it remains a question of how it is the fault of this store when the daughter could have asked questions about the ingredients or if maybe the received the wrong drink. The store knows nothing of medical records, thus it is the patient's responsibility to let others know for a better experience and aid in selecting correct choices.

I'm sorry... As tragic as this is, Panera did label their lemonades with the amount of caffeine in the sizes listed.. If she knew about this condition, she would've researched it better... Parents just want a payout

I will never drink those kind of drinks at Panera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All of these people in the comments defending a multimillion dollar company is hilarious. Panera isn't going to make you their next CEO. 😂

I tried Panera once then I heard about another person dying from mysterious stuff in the food that’s unexpected. I’m too scared to go there based on what I read in the news. The grill cheese sandwich. I’m not brave enough to eat there.

Isn’t Panera like a coffee shop? It may not specifically be their brand name but there is a lot of caffeine in the building.

Devastating

shouldve read the warning label

People saying that it’s not Paneras fault are missing the big picture here.. no one buys a lemonade and thinks that it will have more caffeine then a large Red Bull AND a large monster combined. That is incredibly dangerous even for a normal person.

People sue for anything. I saw in the news how someone sued a cat. True story by the way.

That's just crazy to have that much caffeine in a drink. Did she not know that there was caffeine in the Drink?

Caffeine shouldn’t even be in lemonade in the first place.

Did it read Charged Lemonade on the Menu. Was there also plain Lemonade in that place??

Not Paneras fault, her fault.

They should be suing god for creating a faulty daughter.

Taking lemonade to another level.

390 mg of Caffeine wth?!

Their food portion size is absurdly tiny. Complete ripoff.

Only Panera would come up with the Grim Reaper of all drinks and people stupid enough to take risks.

If I have a heart condition, I would be extra careful with anything I put in my body. In the same way that I am deathly allergic to shellfish. I ask at every restaurant no matter what kind of restaurant it is to please prepare my food in a separate section. I have to take some responsibility for my health.

I don’t have enough self-control to handle this much caffeine access? seems like a petty excuse for responsibility

What was wrong with regular lemonade?

Sorry, I thought they had a case, but she knew she had issues with caffeine and can’t rely on others to keep their caffeine intake in check