The family of a 17-12 months-oldschool Texas cheerleader has filed a wrongful death lawsuit in opposition to a distributor of a typical energy drink, saying the teenager died from an enlarged coronary heart precipitated by ingesting orderly amounts of caffeine.
Larissa Nicole Rodriguez, a school-certain high college pupil in Weslaco, Texas, died in October. Benny Agosto Jr., her family’s lawyer, stated at a news conference Wednesday that the Hidalgo County scientific examiner certain that her motive for death “was an enlarged coronary heart as a result of emphasize and orderly amounts of caffeine.” Hidalgo County did not straight away answer to a request for comment.
Agosto stated Alani Nu energy drinks, which Rodriguez drank over and over, “had insufficient warnings about the severe cardiac dangers that this product brings.” The swimsuit, which was filed Wednesday in Hidalgo County District Court docket, entails the allegation and seeks bigger than $1 million in damages. The family did not answer to a request for comment.
Rodriguez had no pre-existing coronary heart conditions or coronary heart-linked considerations, Agosto stated. He stated that the scientific examiner examined for myriad medication and that “the total lot was unfavourable, not one tag of alcohol or something. The ultimate thing she had in her scheme was caffeine.”
Agosto stated that Rodriguez was “corpulent of lifestyles, corpulent of affection, neat, academic and with a shiny future” and that she was an brisk teenager who played tennis and was a cheerleader.
“Her lifestyles was cut short,” he stated on the news conference, surrounded by her fogeys and diverse family members.
The family is suing distributors Glazer’s Beer and Beverage and Glazer’s Beer and Beverage of Texas. The company distributes drinks in Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas, in response to its online page. Glazer’s Beer and Beverage did not straight away answer to a request for comment on the lawsuit. Celsius Inc., which owns Alani Nu, stated in a assertion that it is “saddened by this loss, and our thoughts are with the family. We take product security severely and mediate customers ought to maintain certain info about what they’re ingesting.” “Alani Nu energy drinks expose 200mg of caffeine on the can, and the tag states the product just will not be suggested for kids, of us sensitive to caffeine, pregnant ladies folks, or ladies folks who are nursing,” the assertion stated. “Our products regulate to relevant federal labeling necessities, and our coverage just will not be to market or pattern to somebody beneath 18, in accordance to these tag warnings.” Celsius, which done its acquisition of Alani Nu in April 2025 for $1.8 billion, just will not be a defendant in the lawsuit. Agosto stated the lawsuit was filed in opposition to the beverage distributor because “they’re these that receive it, distribute it and place all of it over, and in addition they also fail to present any warnings.” He stated in an interview Thursday that as discovery in the case continues, more defendants shall be added, which could perhaps embody Celsius. The Alani Nu energy drink is 12 fluid oz and comprises 200 mg of caffeine, the same as a 12-ounce can of Celsius. The total each day maximum quantity of caffeine that the Food and Drug Administration recommends for wholesome adults is 400 mg, and children and youths ages 12 to 17 ought to maintain lower than 100 mg of caffeine per day, in response to the Columbia College Irving Scientific Heart. Alani Nu’s drinks maintain a a ways increased concentration of caffeine than some assorted standard energy drinks on the market. By comparability, labels imprint an 8.4-ounce can of Crimson Bull Energy Drink comprises 80 mg of caffeine, and a 17-ounce can of Monster comprises 160 mg. Agosto stated Rodriguez began to drink Alani Nu thanks to posts on social media that advertised it with wellness and health advantages, in addition to an energy enhance. “First, she received into it thanks to social media and diverse social interplay with youngsters. At some point soon, she was enamored by it,” he stated. By some means, she went on to submit about the product factual as influencers enact. Within the closing 12 months, she began to drink as a minimum one Alani Nu a day, usually more, he stated. “It was very frequent for her to catch up in the morning, lunge to university and maintain an Alani or be in sports activities activities and maintain an Alani,” Agosto stated. “We now maintain images and movies of her playing sports activities and her and her classmates, in addition to assorted friends, ingesting Alani or assorted energy drinks.” The lawsuit alleges that Alani Nu targets its advertising and marketing and marketing to younger ladies folks and minors thru social media and that it advertises the drink as a wellness and lifestyle beverage, nevertheless it says the drink lacks correct warnings, including consumption limits and that that you just would be in a position to perhaps ponder dangers. Agosto stated the Alani Nu energy drink was this kind of component of Rodriguez’s lifestyles that an invite for the college’s homecoming tournament featured an image of the product, saying, “Hope you’ve gotten the energy to head to homecoming with me.” Rodriguez was “fooled that this drink just will not be a wellness drink, it’s not a catch-effectively drink. … It’s inflicting considerations to her coronary heart, which in the kill took her lifestyles,” Agosto stated. In 2023, the authorities of Canada issued a recall for Alani Nu, citing noncompliances linked to caffeine announce and labeling considerations. Agosto stated the family’s hope with the lawsuit is to prevent the tragedy from affecting any assorted family. “They lost their ultimate daughter. She was two months from 18,” he stated. “What in the kill they wish is that this doesn’t happen to a single runt one. If they are able to save one lifestyles, that’s what they wish. If they are able to swap the swap in reveal that there’s better protections and warnings for kids, that’s what they wish.”
