Parents Sue Panera for Serving Allergic Daughter Peanut Butter in Grilled Cheese

A Massachusetts family filed a lawsuit against Panera last week alleging negligence because the restaurant made their daughter a grilled cheese with a “large dollop of peanut butter inside”—after the online order specified twice that the five-year-old girl had a peanut allergy.

John and Elissa Russo brought the suit after ordering a grilled cheese for their daughter on Jan. 28 and having to hospitalize her overnight for the severe allergic reaction she had after biting into the sandwich, The Boston Globe reports. After the daughter realized the mistake, she reportedly kept asking “Am I going to die?”

A Panera manager said the mistake may have arisen due to a language issue that caused a staff member to see “peanut” and believe it was part of the order. A Panera spokesperson declined to comment to the Globe.

[The Boston Globe]