The household of a 17-year-old Texas cheerleader has filed a wrongful dying lawsuit towards a distributor of a popular energy drink, saying {the teenager} died from an enlarged heart brought on by ingesting massive quantities of caffeine.
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Larissa Nicole Rodriguez, a college-bound highschool scholar in Weslaco, Texas, died in October. Benny Agosto Jr., her household’s lawyer, mentioned at a information convention Wednesday that the Hidalgo County health worker decided that her reason behind dying “was an enlarged heart due to stress and large amounts of caffeine.” Hidalgo County didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.
Agosto mentioned Alani Nu energy drinks, which Rodriguez drank typically, “had inadequate warnings about the serious cardiac risks that this product brings.” The go well with, which was filed Wednesday in Hidalgo County District Court, consists of the allegation and seeks greater than $1 million in damages. The household didn’t reply to a request for remark.
Rodriguez had no pre-existing heart circumstances or heart-related issues, Agosto mentioned. He mentioned that the health worker examined for myriad medicine and that “everything was negative, not one trace of alcohol or anything. The only thing she had in her system was caffeine.”
Agosto mentioned that Rodriguez was “full of life, full of love, smart, academic and with a bright future” and that she was an lively teenager who played tennis and was a cheerleader.
“Her life was cut short,” he mentioned on the information convention, surrounded by her mother and father and different family.
The household is suing distributors Glazer’s Beer and Beverage and Glazer’s Beer and Beverage of Texas. The firm distributes drinks in Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Nebraska, Oklahoma and Texas, according to its website.
Glazer’s Beer and Beverage didn’t instantly reply to a request for touch upon the lawsuit.
Celsius Inc., which owns Alani Nu, mentioned in a press release that it’s “saddened by this loss, and our thoughts are with the family. We take product safety seriously and believe consumers should have clear information about what they are drinking.”
“Alani Nu energy drinks disclose 200mg of caffeine on the can, and the label states the product is not recommended for children, people sensitive to caffeine, pregnant women, or women who are nursing,” the assertion mentioned. “Our products comply with applicable federal labeling requirements, and our policy is not to market or sample to anyone under 18, consistent with those label warnings.”
Celsius, which accomplished its acquisition of Alani Nu in April 2025 for $1.8 billion, will not be a defendant in the lawsuit.
Agosto mentioned the lawsuit was filed towards the beverage distributor as a result of “they’re the ones that receive it, distribute it and put it all over the place, and they also fail to give any warnings.” He mentioned in an interview Thursday that as discovery in the case continues, extra defendants will likely be added, which might embody Celsius.
The Alani Nu energy drink is 12 fluid ounces and comprises 200 mg of caffeine, the identical as a 12-ounce can of Celsius. The total daily maximum amount of caffeine that the Food and Drug Administration recommends for wholesome adults is 400 mg, and kids and youngsters ages 12 to 17 ought to have lower than 100 mg of caffeine per day, according to the Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
Alani Nu’s drinks comprise a far greater focus of caffeine than another popular energy drinks available on the market. By comparability, labels present an 8.4-ounce can of Red Bull Energy Drink comprises 80 mg of caffeine, and a 17-ounce can of Monster comprises 160 mg.
Agosto mentioned Rodriguez began to drink Alani Nu due to posts on social media that marketed it with wellness and well being advantages, in addition to an energy increase.
“First, she got into it because of social media and other social interaction with young people. At some point, she was enamored by it,” he mentioned. Eventually, she went on to put up concerning the product simply as influencers do.
In the final yr, she began to drink not less than one Alani Nu a day, typically extra, he mentioned.
“It was very common for her to get up in the morning, go to school and have an Alani or be in sports activities and have an Alani,” Agosto mentioned. “We have pictures and videos of her playing sports and her and her classmates, as well as other friends, drinking Alani or other energy drinks.”
The lawsuit alleges that Alani Nu targets its advertising to younger ladies and minors via social media and that it advertises the drink as a wellness and way of life beverage, however it says the drink lacks correct warnings, together with consumption limits and doable risks.
Agosto mentioned the Alani Nu energy drink was such part of Rodriguez’s life that an invite for the college’s homecoming occasion featured a picture of the product, saying, “Hope you have the energy to go to homecoming with me.”
Rodriguez was “fooled that this drink is not a wellness drink, it’s not a get-well drink. … It’s causing problems to her heart, which ultimately took her life,” Agosto mentioned.
In 2023, the federal government of Canada issued a recall for Alani Nu, citing noncompliances associated to caffeine content material and labeling points.
Agosto mentioned the household’s hope with the lawsuit is to forestall the tragedy from affecting some other household.
“They lost their only daughter. She was two months from 18,” he mentioned. “What ultimately they want is that this doesn’t happen to a single child. If they can save one life, that’s what they want. If they can change the industry so that there’s better protections and warnings for kids, that’s what they want.”
