Lawsuit over Alani Nu drink
A family filed a wrongful-death lawsuit alleging an Alani Nu energy drink played a role in the death of a 17-year-old, while Celsius—Alani Nu’s 2025 acquirer—said its products comply with federal labeling and is not named as a defendant. The filings and coverage raise public questions about labeling and warnings for energy beverages. (eu.usatoday.com) (dallasexpress.com)
A Texas family has sued over a 17-year-old’s death, alleging Alani Nu energy drinks contributed to a fatal heart condition. (nbcnews.com) The lawsuit was filed April 8 in Hidalgo County by the parents of Larissa Nicole Rodriguez, a Weslaco High School cheerleader who died on October 20, 2025. The suit names Glazer’s Beer and Beverage and Glazer’s Beer and Beverage of Texas, which allegedly distributed the drinks sold to her through H-E-B. (valleycentral.com) The family’s lawyers said the Hidalgo County medical examiner found Rodriguez died from cardiomyopathy caused by excessive caffeine consumption. They allege she drank one or more Alani Nu beverages on October 20, 2025, and in the days before her death. (usatoday.com) At the center of the case is a labeling fight. Alani Nu cans disclose 200 milligrams of caffeine per 12-ounce can and say the drink is not recommended for children, people sensitive to caffeine, or people who are pregnant or nursing, according to coverage citing the packaging. (nbcnews.com) Federal regulators do not set a single daily caffeine cap for minors, but the Food and Drug Administration says medical experts advise against energy drinks for children and teens. The agency says too much caffeine in young people can raise heart rate and blood pressure and cause palpitations, anxiety, sleep problems and dehydration. (fda.gov) For healthy adults, the Food and Drug Administration says 400 milligrams a day is an amount “not generally associated” with dangerous effects. One Alani Nu can contains half of that adult benchmark. (fda.gov) The lawsuit says the warnings were still inadequate because the product was marketed in bright packaging and promoted by influencers popular with young women. The family is seeking more than $1 million in damages. (fox26houston.com) Celsius Holdings, which completed its acquisition of Alani Nu on April 1, 2025, told multiple outlets it is not named as a defendant. The company said Alani Nu products comply with federal labeling rules and disclose caffeine content on the can. (markets.ft.com) (nbcnews.com) The case lands as energy drinks remain widely sold in grocery and convenience stores, with labels that often warn against use by children but are not kept behind age checks. What happens next will turn on the medical evidence, the warning language on the can, and whether a jury thinks those warnings matched the product’s risks. (usatoday.com)
