A Hidalgo County lawsuit says a 17-year-old Weslaco student died after drinking Alani Nu and faults the product’s warnings, marketing and local distribution.
WESLACO, Texas — The parents of a 17-year-old Weslaco student and cheerleader sued a Texas beverage distributor this week, alleging that Alani Nu energy drinks sold at a local H-E-B contributed to their daughter’s fatal cardiac collapse last fall.
The lawsuit, filed April 8 in Hidalgo County District Court, names Glazer’s Beer and Beverage LLC and Glazer’s Beer and Beverage of Texas LLC as defendants and seeks more than $1 million in damages. It places a popular national energy drink brand at the center of a local court fight over labeling, youth marketing and caffeine safety. The case is in its earliest stage, no judge has ruled on the allegations, and no public answer from the defendants appeared in the record reviewed for this story.
According to the petition, Larissa Rodriguez bought and drank one or more Alani Nu energy drinks on or about Oct. 20, 2025, and in the days leading up to it, after purchasing them from an H-E-B in Hidalgo County. The filing says the drinks had been distributed to that store by the Glazer entities named in the suit. Rodriguez died that day at age 17. Her obituary and local coverage described her as a Weslaco High School senior, student council president, co-captain of the varsity cheer team and a student ranked in the top 5% of her class. At a courthouse news conference this week, her mother, Jennifer Alicia Rodriguez, said her daughter had been drinking the product through homecoming weekend and called the lawsuit “This is advocacy.” The family says the case grew out of months of grief, questions and a medical examiner’s finding that came after her death.
Court records tie the family’s claims to the Hidalgo County Medical Examiner’s conclusion that Rodriguez died from cardiomyopathy caused by excessive caffeine consumption. At the same news conference, attorney Benny Agosto Jr. said extensive testing did not show drugs or alcohol and said “the only finding was caffeine.” The petition also says Larissa had no known prior heart condition. The suit focuses heavily on what is inside the drink and what consumers are told about it. A 12-ounce can of Alani Nu lists 200 milligrams of caffeine, and the lawsuit says that is twice the daily amount many pediatric experts advise as a ceiling for adolescents. The petition also points to taurine, guarana seed extract, L-theanine, ginseng, glucuronolactone and inositol on the label, arguing that consumers are not told enough about how those ingredients may work together. What remains unknown in the public record is exactly how many cans Larissa drank over what time period and whether later medical testimony could narrow or challenge the family’s account.
The dispute also reaches beyond the amount of caffeine in a single can and into how the drink is presented to buyers. On Alani Nu’s official product pages, the company promotes the drinks as zero sugar, low calorie and flavored for everyday appeal, while also disclosing 200 milligrams of caffeine per can and a caution that the product is not recommended for children or people sensitive to caffeine. The family’s lawsuit argues that those warnings are too small and too vague, especially when paired with bright packaging, sweet flavors and social media promotion that plaintiffs say attracts teenage girls and young women. The petition describes the drink as something sold in the same coolers as other packaged beverages, not behind a counter and not subject to an age check at purchase. That point matters to the family because Larissa was a minor, and the suit says the product’s image as a wellness or lifestyle drink could make its stimulant load easier to underestimate.
The broader business setting adds another layer to the case. Celsius Holdings completed its acquisition of Alani Nu in April 2025, and later announced plans to widen the brand’s distribution through PepsiCo’s system. In South Texas, Glazer’s had already expanded its local reach. Company and local economic development records show Glazer opened a more than 250,000-square-foot distribution center in Weslaco in 2024 and used it as a hub for beverage delivery across the Rio Grande Valley. The petition identifies that Weslaco operation, at 3311 Development Drive, as the place from which the Alani Nu drinks at issue were distributed. Local reporting added an especially painful detail for the family: Larissa had participated in Glazer’s 2024 ribbon-cutting event in a civic role connected to the Weslaco chamber. That history does not change the legal questions in the case, but it helps explain why the lawsuit has drawn such intense attention in a city where Larissa was widely known and the distributor was part of the local business story.
The legal claims are broad. The petition alleges negligence, strict liability, design defect and failure to warn, and it seeks both wrongful death and survival damages on behalf of Larissa’s parents and her estate. The filing says plaintiffs intend to proceed under Level 2 discovery, the standard Texas track that typically involves document exchanges, written questions, depositions and expert testimony. It also asks the court to preserve evidence and leaves room for additional defendants to be added later if discovery identifies other responsible parties. For now, though, the defendants in the caption are the two Glazer entities, not Alani Nutrition, Congo Brands or Celsius. That makes the next procedural step important. Once the defendants respond, the court can begin setting the rhythm of the case through scheduling, early motions and, eventually, any hearing dates. As of Sunday, no initial hearing date had been publicly reported.
Outside the legal filing, the case has reopened a much more personal story in Weslaco. Larissa’s obituary says she planned to attend the University of Texas at Austin and hoped to pursue law. It describes a teenager active in pageants, service projects and school leadership, someone remembered for confidence, warmth and ambition. Standing before cameras this week, her mother said, “This is the hardest thing that I’ve ever gone through in my life.” Agosto said the family believes the product was sold in a way that hid the seriousness of its stimulant content from young consumers. The emotional force of the case, however, comes from facts that are harder to measure than caffeine counts and warning text: a senior year cut short, college plans that will never be used, and parents trying to turn a private loss into a public record. Whether the lawsuit can prove legal responsibility is still an open question. What is already clear is that the filing has moved Larissa’s death from mourning into a courtroom fight over accountability.
For now, the case remains an accusation on paper, not a court finding. The next major milestone will come when the Glazer entities file their response and the Hidalgo County court begins setting deadlines for discovery, motions or any first hearing.
Author note: Last updated 2026-04-12.