Salinas Funeral Home
By Joe Edwards
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The parents of 17-year-old Weslaco High School cheerleader Larissa Nicole Rodriguez have filed a wrongful death lawsuit alleging an energy drink’s caffeine content contributed to a fatal cardiac event in 2025.
The Context
Rodriguez, a high school senior and co-captain of the varsity cheer team, died on October 20, 2025 in Weslaco, Texas, according to a Salinas Funeral Home obituary.
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“Following her consumption of Alani Nu Energy Drinks, Larissa Rodriguez suffered a fatal cardiac event. The Hidalgo County Medical Examiner determined that Larissa Rodriguez’s cause of death was cardiomyopathy caused by excessive caffeine consumption,” the filing read.
The suit, filed in Hidalgo County District Court, names Glazer’s Beer and Beverage, LLC, and Glazer’s Beer and Beverage of Texas, LLC, which it said distributed the drink.
According to the lawsuit, Alani Nu Energy Drinks contain 200 milligrams of caffeine per 12‑ounce can—about 16.67 milligrams per ounce—an amount that exceeds the caffeine concentration of most soft drinks and many competing energy drinks on a per-ounce basis.
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The filing notes that this is double the American Academy of Pediatrics’ recommended daily caffeine limit for children ages 12 to 17, yet the product labels include no warning about excessive caffeine intake or risks to minors.
The lawsuit also alleges that the drinks contain an undisclosed amount of taurine, which it says can intensify caffeine’s stimulant effects and has been linked to neurological and cardiovascular concerns.
Despite FDA guidance that caffeine poses heightened risks to children and that healthy adults should limit intake to 400 milligrams per day, the complaint says Alani Nu provides no maximum daily consumption guidance and no prominent warning that the product may be dangerous for children or when multiple cans are consumed.
The can carries a brief caution against use by children, people sensitive to caffeine, and certain women, but the lawsuit calls the small-print warning “inconspicuous” and “inadequate.”
What To Know
Rodriguez was remembered in the Salinas Funeral Home obituary as a top student dedicated to community service who served as student council president, National Honor Society parliamentarian and co-captain of the varsity cheer team.
It said she was also a participant in the Latina in Progress Program and was recognized as a UCA All American Cheerleader and UCA Staff Candidate.
She earned titles including Junior Miss Weslaco in 2022 and Miss Texas Onion Fest 2024, and she planned to study law at the University of Texas at Austin, it said.
Newsweek reached out to the family’s attorney and Glazer’s Beer and Beverage for comment, via email and social media respectively, outside of business hours on Friday.
What People Are Saying
Attorney for the family Benny Agosto Jr. said, according to ValleyCentral: “This is a heartbreaking and entirely preventable tragedy.
“No family should have to bury their child because of a product that was aggressively marketed as safe while failing to adequately warn about its dangerous effects. Companies have a responsibility to protect consumers especially young people, and we intend to hold them accountable.”
What Happens Next
Rodriguez’s family is seeking $1 million in damages.
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