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Sarah Katz, of Jersey City, died at Penn Presbyterian Medical Center on Sept. 10, 2022, according to her obituary.
The 21-year-old's death came shortly after she drank "Charged Lemonade" at the Panera located at 200 South 40th Street, in Philadelphia, according to the lawsuit filed on Monday, Oct. 23, 2023, by Kline & Specter, P.C. on behalf of Jill and Michael Katz.
The lawsuit settled out of court and the case was dismissed on Monday, Oct. 7, according to court documents obtained by Daily Voice. It was scheduled to go to trial this month.
Sarah went into cardiac arrest at a table in the Panera surrounded by her friends shortly after drinking the beverage, as Daily Voice previously reported citing the lawsuit. After she was rushed to Pennsylvania Presbyterian Hospital, she suffered a second cardiac arrest and was pronounced dead, as explained in the suit.
The UPenn student had been diagnosed with Long QT syndrome type 1 (LQT1) when she was 5 years old, according to her family.
"In LQT1, the potassium ion channels in the heart do not work properly, disrupting the heart's electrical activity. Emotional stress or physical exercise, particularly swimming, can trigger arrhythmias," according to Standford Medicine.
Due to her condition, Sarah had avoided highly caffeinated beverages her entire life, as explained in the 26-page wrongful death lawsuit. The Katz family asserted that Panera's labeling of "Charged Lemonade" failed to properly indicate it was highly caffeinated.
The beverage was advertised as "Plant-based and Clean with as much caffeine as our Dark Roast coffee: Sip, ENJOY, Repeat. Unlimited Sip Club,” the suit states including a picture of the sign in the store.
Panera stopped selling the beverage in May 2024, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
Sarah an accomplished UPenn student who was fluent in Mandarin, was a leader in the Penn John Marshall Pre-Law Honor Society, a membership coordinator for the Student Committee on Undergraduate Education, the social chair of Sigma Kappa sorority, and an active member of Penn Hille and MEOR, according to a fundraiser launched in her memory.
She was a research assistant at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, according to her social media.
"Sarah was a Red Cap ambassador with the American Heart Association (AHA), where she taught CPR in high schools and underserved communities and organized teams for the Wall Street Run & Heart Walk," as stated in the Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes Foundation's memorial post for Sarah.
She also "introduced a bill to Pennsylvania state legislators advocating that all Pennsylvania schools become certified 'heart-safe' spaces," the school said. "She returned to campus (in fall 2022) eager to begin working for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as a health communications intern."
Sarah was interred at Cedar Park Cemetery, 735 Forest Avenue, Paramus, NJ on Sept. 13, 2022, her obituary states.
The amount of the settlement was not released publicly or in court documents.
Click here to read our original report on this lawsuit.
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