A rising Texas beauty queen\u2019s death is being blamed on the \u201cunreasonably dangerous\u201d amount of caffeine in the energy drinks the teen had consumed in the days and hours before she died suddenly.<\/p>\n
The family of Larissa Rodriguez is accusing Alani Nu Energy Drinks and the Texas retailer that sold her the beverages of not properly warning the 17-year-old of the dangers of consuming the drink, according to a wrongful death lawsuit<\/a> viewed by The Post.<\/p>\n Rodriguez, a high school senior and co-captain of the varsity cheerleading squad, had suffered a \u201cfatal cardiac event\u201d on Oct. 20, 2025, after she consumed at least one 12-ounce can of Alani Nu.<\/p>\n Larissa Rodriguez died on Oct. 20, 2025, from cardiomyopathy caused by excessive caffeine consumption after drinking Alani Nu. Salinas Funeral Home<\/p>\n Officials ruled she had died from cardiomyopathy \u2014 a serious disease of the heart muscles \u2014 caused by excessive caffeine consumption.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Alani Nu Energy Drink was designed and formulated such that it could cause cardiomyopathy, cardiac arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, and death in consumers, especially children, adolescents, and caffeine-sensitive individuals,\u201d the family argued.<\/p>\n The lawsuit, filed in Hidalgo County District Court by Rodriguez\u2019s parents \u2013 Jennifer and Roberto \u2014 noted that several health organizations unequivocally state that energy drinks have no place in the diets of children and adolescents, with the maximum daily intake for minors being no more than 100 milligrams.<\/p>\n Her parents claim the 200 milligrams inside a 12-ounce can of Alani is significantly higher than most soft drinks and other energy drinks on a per-ounce basis, while the can has several design flaws.<\/p>\n \u201cCritically, it does not warn against excessive caffeine consumption,\u201d the lawsuit states.<\/p>\n Larissa Rodriguez was crowned the inaugural Junior Miss Weslaco, and won the Miss Texas Onion Fest 2024. Facebook<\/p>\n The warning label on the back of an Alani Nu can advising children not to consume the beverage. Hidalgo County court<\/p>\n A can of Alani Nu has a brief warning on the label saying the beverage is \u201cNot recommended for Children, People Sensitive to Caffeine, Pregnant Women or Women who are Nursing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe only cautionary language on the can is printed in small, inconspicuous text that is easily overlooked and wholly inadequate to warn consumers of the serious risks of cardiac injury and death,\u201d the lawsuit continues.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was defective in its design, unreasonably dangerous, and unsafe for its intended purpose because it did not provide adequate protection and\/or warning against the foreseeable risk of cardiac-related injuries and death.<\/p>\n Rodriguez\u2019s family also accused Alani Nu of having an undisclosed quantity of taurine, an amino acid, known to amplify the stimulatory effects of caffeine and linked to several health effects, including altered neural functioning, lowered serotonin and dopamine levels, and cardiovascular effects.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\tStart your day with all you need to know\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMorning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\tThanks for signing up!\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n The effects of the additional combined stimulants and the health risks consumers face, including cardiomyopathy, cardiac arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, or death, are not noted on the can.<\/p>\n The several ingredients are allegedly \u201chidden within a vaguely described \u2018Energy Blend\u2019 that does not specify individual amounts, preventing consumers from making informed decisions about their intake,\u201d the suit claimed.<\/p>\n Alani Nu, founded by fitness influencer Katy Hearn, is marketed as a \u201cbetter-for-you\u201d wellness and lifestyle beverage, the suit claims, with young women and minors as its target audience through advertisements on social media.<\/p>\n \u201cAlani Nu\u2019s marketing is particularly deceptive because it positions the product as part of a healthy, active lifestyle while concealing the substantial cardiac and neurological risks associated with its concentrated caffeine and stimulant ingredients,\u201d the suit states.<\/p>\n Rodriguez was described as an active, high-achieving teenager \u2014 a cheerleader, tennis player and honor student. Salinas Funeral Home<\/p>\n Larissa Rodriguez had no previous known health issues and did not use drugs or alcohol. Salinas Funeral Home<\/p>\n The lawsuit compared Rodriguez\u2019s death to lawsuits against Panera Bread<\/a> after its \u201cCharged Lemonade\u201d was blamed for at least two deaths. <\/p>\n \u201cThose lawsuits alleged that the beverages were not adequately labeled as energy drinks, were placed alongside non-caffeinated beverages without adequate warnings, and caused fatal cardiac events in consumers with and without pre-existing conditions,\u201d Rodriguez family lawyer, Benny Agosto Jr., argued.<\/p>\n Rodriguez was described as an active, high-achieving teenager \u2014 a cheerleader, tennis player and honor student who had been accepted to nearly 20 colleges, according to the San Antonio Express-News.<\/a> She planned to study law at the University of Texas at Austin, according to her obituary<\/a>. <\/p>\n She had no previous known health issues and did not use drugs or alcohol.<\/p>\n In 2022, the teen was crowned the inaugural Junior Miss Weslaco, and won the Miss Texas Onion Fest 2024.<\/p>\n Rodriguez\u2019s family is seeking recovery of damages from their daughter\u2019s death.<\/p>\n \u201cAs a result of the wrongful conduct, Larissa Rodriguez suffered physical pain and mental anguish, pain, and torment prior to her death,\u201d the lawsuit states.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A rising Texas beauty queen\u2019s death is being blamed on the \u201cunreasonably dangerous\u201d amount of caffeine in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":191866,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[7371,76752,1015,76753,4686,2850,9,24,63,122,124,123,1777,58],"class_list":{"0":"post-191865","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-queens","8":"tag-beauty-queens","9":"tag-cheerleaders","10":"tag-deaths","11":"tag-energy-drinks","12":"tag-influencers","13":"tag-lawsuits","14":"tag-new-york","15":"tag-new-york-city","16":"tag-nyc","17":"tag-queens","18":"tag-queens-headlines","19":"tag-queens-news","20":"tag-texas","21":"tag-us-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=191865"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/191865\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/191866"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=191865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=191865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=191865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}