RI Woman Says Panera Lemonade Permanently Damaged Her Heart: Report

GREENVILLE, RI — A 28-year-old Rhode Island woman has filed a lawsuit against Panera Bread, claiming her life was permanently altered when she drank two and a half of the chain's Charged Lemonade drinks back in April.

According to the lawsuit, which was obtained by NBC News, Lauren Skerritt was healthy and athletic when she drank the beverages, which came from a Greenville Panera.

Shortly after, she suffered heart palpitations and now has "permanent cardiac injuries" which have greatly reduced her quality of life and require her to take medication daily, the lawsuit said, according to the outlet.

Skeritt's injuries include atrial fibrillation, also known as an irregular heartbeat, and "recurrent episodes of rapid heartbeat that occur suddenly and without pattern," according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Delaware, where Panera is incorporated.

"Lauren continues to experience supraventricular tachycardia with associated shortness of breath, palpitations, brain fog, difficulty thinking and concentrating, body shakes, and weakness," the lawsuit continued, according to NBC News.

Skeritt's lawsuit is the third filed against Panera over its Charged Lemonade, and the first in which the plaintiff had no known underlying conditions.

The other two, filed in October and December, involved the deaths of a 21-year-old UPenn student with a heart condition and a 46-year-old Florida man with a chromosomal disorder and high blood pressure.

According to a 26-page suit filed following the first death, the caffeine content of the Panera Charged Lemonade ranges from 260 milligrams in 20 fluid ounces (regular size) to 390 milligrams in 30 fluid ounces (large size, Sip Club size).

"At 30 fluid ounces, Panera Charged Lemonade exceeds the combined contents of 12 fluid ounces of Red Bull (114 milligrams caffeine) and 16 fluid ounces of Monster Energy Drink (160 milligrams caffeine,)" the suit said.

An archived version of Panera's digital menu on its website shows that early last year, the description of the Charged Lemonade drinks simply stated their ingredients and that they had as much caffeine as the restaurant's dark roast coffee.

However, the website now adds a block of warning text, which reads: "Use in moderation. NOT RECOMMENDED FOR children, people sensitive to caffeine, pregnant or nursing women. *Contains Allulose: adds a negligible amount of sugar."