The Hidalgo County case centers on a 17-year-old Weslaco student whose medical examiner listed cardiomyopathy caused by excessive caffeine consumption.
WESLACO, TX — The parents of a 17-year-old South Texas cheerleader have filed a wrongful-death lawsuit that says an Alani Nu energy drink sold at a local H-E-B and distributed by Glazer’s Beer and Beverage led to the teen’s fatal cardiac collapse last fall.
The case puts a national energy drink brand at the center of a local court fight over labeling, youth marketing and caffeine safety. The lawsuit, filed April 8 in Hidalgo County District Court, says Larissa Rodriguez bought and drank one or more Alani Nu cans in the days before her Oct. 20, 2025, death and that the drink’s caffeine load and other stimulant ingredients made it unreasonably dangerous. The filing names Glazer’s Beer and Beverage LLC and Glazer’s Beer and Beverage of Texas LLC as defendants and says more parties could be added later as the case moves through discovery.
According to the petition, Larissa was a Weslaco teenager with no known history of heart trouble when she bought the drinks from an H-E-B in Hidalgo County. The filing says she consumed one or more cans on or about Oct. 20, 2025, and in the days leading up to it. Afterward, the suit says, she suffered a fatal cardiac event. The Hidalgo County medical examiner later determined that her cause of death was cardiomyopathy caused by excessive caffeine consumption, the lawsuit states. At a news conference after the filing, attorney Benny Agosto Jr. said the family decided to sue after reviewing the examiner’s findings and the drink’s label. Her mother, Jennifer Rodriguez, said the case was about accountability and about understanding what happened to her daughter, who had been planning for college and was active in school and pageants.
The lawsuit focuses on what it describes as the product’s stimulant content and its warning language. It says a 12-ounce can of Alani Nu contains 200 milligrams of caffeine, which the filing describes as twice the amount recommended in a day for many adolescents. The petition also points to taurine, guarana seed extract, L-theanine, ginseng, glucuronolactone and inositol listed on the can. It argues that some of those ingredients can act together with caffeine in ways consumers may not fully understand because the label does not break out every amount in the drink’s “Energy Blend.” Photos included with the filing show a caution statement printed in small type on the can that says the product is not recommended for children under 18, people sensitive to caffeine, or pregnant or nursing women. The family’s lawyers say that warning was too small, too vague and too easy to miss, especially for teenagers and young adults. What remains unknown, at least in public filings, is exactly how many cans Larissa consumed, over what span of time, and whether any additional medical records will change the picture as the case develops.
The suit also spends substantial time on how the product is sold and presented. It says Alani Nu is marketed as a wellness and lifestyle drink, with bright can designs, sweet flavors and a social-media image aimed heavily at young women. The filing says those choices blur the line between an energy drink and a routine beverage sold in the same coolers as softer drinks at grocery and convenience stores. In Weslaco and across much of Texas, energy drinks are widely available with no age check at checkout, and the petition argues that point matters because minors can buy them without a barrier that exists for alcohol or tobacco. The complaint notes that Canadian regulators warned in 2023 about Alani Nu products over caffeine content and labeling compliance under Canadian rules, a contrast the family’s lawyers use to argue that U.S. consumers face weaker notice. The filing also compares the case to earlier lawsuits involving other highly caffeinated drinks, including Panera Bread’s Charged Lemonade, to argue that questions about warnings and stimulant combinations are no longer rare or abstract.
For now, the case is in its earliest stage. The petition seeks wrongful-death and survival damages, including claims tied to Larissa’s alleged pain and mental anguish before death, as well as medical, funeral and related losses. The filing says plaintiffs intend to proceed under Level 2 discovery, a standard Texas track that usually includes document exchanges, written questions, depositions and expert testimony. No answer from the defendants appeared in the court filing itself, and no ruling has been made on the family’s allegations. Because the suit names the local Glazer’s entities, not Alani Nutrition or Congo Brands as direct defendants in the case caption, one immediate question is whether the plaintiffs will later amend the complaint to add more parties. Another is whether defense lawyers will challenge causation, arguing that the lawsuit overstates what can be tied to one product or one episode of consumption. Court scheduling details, including any first hearing date, were not listed in the petition released publicly.
Outside the courthouse, the case has reopened grief in a city that knew Larissa as more than a name in a filing. Local coverage has described her as a high school senior, a cheerleader and an honors student whose future seemed fixed on graduation and college. Her mother said after the lawsuit was filed that she wanted the case to serve as advocacy for her daughter, while her lawyers said they believe the family deserves answers about how a product sold openly to young people was labeled and distributed. The family’s account is likely to face close scrutiny from defense experts, toxicologists and product-safety lawyers once litigation moves forward. But in the public record so far, the emotional center of the case is simple: parents saying their daughter died after drinking a product they believe should have carried stronger warnings, clearer limits and a more direct message about risk.
The case was filed April 8 in Hidalgo County under cause number C-1668-26-F. The next major step is for the defendants to respond in court, after which discovery and any effort to add parties or set hearings would begin.
Author note: Last updated 2026-04-10.