Suit With Panera Over Jersey City Student's Death Is Settled: Reports

JERSEY CITY, NJ — The family of a young Jersey City woman who died after drinking a highly-caffeinated Panera drink has settled with the restaurant chain, said news reports over the weekend.

Sarah Katz, 21, was attending the University of Pennsylvania in 2022 when she ordered the drink at a Panera in West Philadelphia, reports said.

According to the family's lawsuit, Katz was diagnosed with Long QT Type 1 Syndrome at 5 years old, which can cause arrhythmia, a disruption of the heart's rhythm and electrical activity. She may not have known the "Charged Lemonade" was heavily caffeinated. She had two heart attacks and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. Read more here.

This article contains reporting by Patch's Cailin Loesch, Max Bennett, and Michele Rotuno-Johnson.