A Rhode Island woman has filed a lawsuit against Panera Bread, alleging the restaurant chain’s highly caffeinated lemonade caused her to have “permanent cardiac injuries.”
Lauren Skerritt, 28, an occupational therapist, had been an athlete with no underlying health conditions who regularly competed in obstacle course races, according to the suit, which was first reported by NBC News. She now requires daily medication and has heart problems that have reduced her ability to work, exercise and socialize, says the complaint, which was filed Tuesday afternoon.
The complaint says that Skerritt drank two and a half Charged Lemonade drinks from a Panera cafe in Greenville, Rhode Island, on April 8, 2023, and then experienced palpitations.
The following day, the legal filing adds, Skerritt went to the emergency room, where tests showed that she had atrial fibrillation — an irregular heartbeat that can lead to a stroke, heart complications or other serious health problems.
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Skerritt has since had “recurrent episodes of rapid heartbeat that occur suddenly and without pattern,” says the suit, which was filed in Delaware, where Panera is incorporated.
Read the full story on NBCNews.com here.
