PANERA Bread has been hit with a fourth lawsuit over its controversial Charged Lemonade drink.
The latest filing comes two weeks after the company announced it was eliminating the high-caffeine drink from its menu nationwide.
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PaneraCharged Lemonade has been at the center of health concerns since its debut in April 2022.
The last lawsuit, filed in Pennsylvania on Monday, claims an 18-year-old had to be resuscitated after drinking a Loaded Lemonade on March 9.
Luke Adams had no prior health problems before purchasing the high-caffeine beverage at a Panera store in Monroeville, according to the court filing obtained by NBC News.
Later that night, Adams and a group of friends went to the cinema, when one of them heard the 18-year-old make “unusual sounds”.
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Moments later, the friend noticed that Adams was unresponsive, the lawsuit said.
Two nurses and a cardiologist who were in the same room as Adams had to perform CPR on the teenager.
Health care workers used an automated external defibrillator (AED) to shock Adams’ heart, the lawsuit says.
Dr. Andrew Pogozelski, the cardiologist who helped Adams, said the AED saved the teen’s life.
“He was as close to death as you can get,” Pogozelski told NBC News.
“It was as unlucky as possible for this to happen to a healthy 18-year-old – but as lucky as possible for the people in the theater to know what they were doing.”
After being taken to the hospital, Adams had two seizures, according to the lawsuit.
Medical records included in the lawsuit alleged that Adams suffered cardiac arrest “possibly related to ingestion of caffeine from Panera Charged Lemonade.”
The records added that “heavy caffeine intake” was identified as the “sole potential trigger for his cardiac arrest.”
Adams, who was hospitalized for six days, including two days intubated in the ICU, told NBC News he was “extremely lucky” to be alive.
“This was just a horrible, life-changing experience that had the best outcome we could have hoped for. [for,]”Adams’ mother, Lisa, told the Post-Gazeta.
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Monday’s order is the latest controversy surrounding Panera’s now-suspended Charged Lemonade drink.
The families of two victims, who died after allegedly consuming the drink, sued Panera late last year.
On September 10, 2023, Sarah Katz, a 21-year-old University of Pennsylvania student, passed out hours after drinking a Charged Lemonade from Panera.
Katz went into cardiac arrest and died.
The 21-year-old college student had a heart condition called long QT syndrome type 1 and avoided energy drinks as recommended by her doctor, her family said in a court filing obtained by NBC News.
The lawsuit alleged that Panera’s Charged Lemonade contains more caffeine than a can of Red Bull and Monster Energy combined.
The drink contained up to 390 milligrams of caffeine per 30 ounces, according to the court filing.
Then, last December, Panera was the target of a second lawsuit following the death of disabled grocery worker Dennis Brown, 46, who allegedly died after drinking the high-caffeine drink.
Elizabeth Crawford, an attorney representing the Brown family, said the grocery store employee went to Panera for a meal on Oct. 9 because he was “confident in the safety of his food and drinks.”
Brown drank a Charged Lemonade and suffered a heart attack while walking home from Panera Bread after consuming three cups of lemonade using his Unlimited Sip Club membership.
The 46-year-old man was found unconscious on the sidewalk and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The family’s lawyer described Panera’s lemonade as a “hidden energy drink” because it contains guarana – a plant that has caffeine-like effects on the heart – and its “exorbitant” amounts of sugar.
Crawford told The US Sun in December 2023 that the drink is mistakenly considered “plant-based and clean, with as much caffeine as our Dark Roast coffee.”
In January, a third consumer of Rhodes Island filed a lawsuit against Panera, claiming its Charged Lemonade left her with long-term heart problems.
Lauren Skerritt described herself as an athlete and someone who works out routinely, but things changed after she allegedly drank lemonade on April 8, 2023.
Skerritt, 28, claims to have had palpitations and dizziness, which she had never experienced before consuming Panera’s Loaded Lemonade.
The day after consuming the drink, Skerritt was admitted to Rhode Island Hospital and was treated for atrial fibrillation — an irregular heartbeat that can cause heart complications, including strokes, according to the lawsuit.
The 28-year-old claims that she now suffers from episodes of heart palpitations, shortness of breath, mental confusion, body tremors, weakness and a tremor in one of her hands.
Skerritt said he has not been able to work, exercise or socialize like he used to since consuming the lemonade.
After the first lawsuit was filed against Panera, the company provided additional disclosure details about Charged Lemonade in all of its locations and online.
Panera warned that the drink should be consumed in moderation and is not recommended for children, people sensitive to caffeine, or pregnant or breastfeeding women.
Crawford, representing the families of Sarah Katz and Dennis Brown, told The US Sun that Panera’s action will “save lives.”
“We filed these lawsuits not only to obtain justice for our customers and their families, but to inform the public about Panera’s dangerous energy drink. While Panera’s post-lawsuit disclosures were a step in the right direction, we strongly support the Panera’s latest decision to remove Charged Lemonade from its menu entirely; a decision we know will save lives.
“While Panera’s decision to recall this product will not revive Sarah Katz or Dennis Brown, nor return Lauren Skerritt to her previous way of life – it will help prevent future tragedies.”
US Sun has reached out to Panera for comment.
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