Five new personal injury lawsuits filed against Monster Beverages
Earlier this month, a Florida firm filed five new lawsuits in California and Washington alleging that Monster Beverage has caused serious injuries and deaths through improper testing, lack of appropriate warning labels, and concealment of known side effects and health risks associated with their energy drinks.
The controversy surrounding the energy drinks is not new—in fact, the history of energy-drink-related hospitalizations dates back to 2004. However, the recent publication of a new study on energy drinks in the International Journal of Cardiology seems to have thrown more fuel on the fire and brought the dispute back into the media’s eye once again.
According to the study, drinking more than two energy drinks per day is associated with serious heart problems. This new scientific evidence helps support plaintiffs’ claims that the high amounts of caffeine and other stimulants like guarana extract and taurine in Monster drinks are dangerous.
Prior to 2013, Monster energy drinks were classified as a dietary supplement rather than a conventional food product, which meant they were not regulated very strictly by the FDA. For example, whereas a soda can only contain 71 mg of caffeine per serving, a supplement can contain any amount. Monster drinks contained about 120 mg per serving, and were often sold in containers holding two servings.
Although Monster energy drinks are now classified as a conventional food product, experts worry that even though the individual ingredients in the drinks have been approved as safe, the drinks need to be tested as a mixture to guarantee safety.
Currently, the Florida firm behind the most recent lawsuits is investigating over 100 complaints related o Monster energy drinks. Reported injuries include heart attacks, strokes, brain injuries, and kidney failure in victims ages 14 to 42 with no prior history of health problems.
At least two prior lawsuits have already been settled, resulting in undisclosed awards to the families of young people who died after drinking Monster products. This would seem to provide a reasonable expectation that the new Monster energy drink lawsuits also have potential for success.
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If you have been injured due to another party’s negligence, the first step towards securing compensation and a sense of justice is contacting a personal injury attorney. Fernando D. Vargas is ready and willing to help. To find out if you have a case, please contact us at 909-982-0707 and request a free initial consultation.
