A TEXAS teen’s family is blaming her death on an “unreasonably dangerous” amount of caffeine she drank in the days before her sudden death.

The rising beauty queen had reportedly been drinking Alani Nu Energy Drinks, a popular energy drink created by a fitness influencer.

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Larissa Rodriguez 17, died in October 2025 after suffering a “fatal cardiac event”Credit: Salinas Funeral Home
 

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The Texas teen won two beauty pageants, including Miss Texas Onion Fest 2024Credit: Instagram/_larissa_nicole
 

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She was said to have drunk an Alani Nu before her death, an energy drink created by a fitness influencerCredit: Alamy
The family of Larissa Rodriguez, a 17-year-old high school senior and co-captain of the varsity cheerleading team, filed a wrongful death lawsuit, alleging that Alani Nu and the retailer that sold the drinks were not properly warning her of the dangers of drinking it.

Rodriguez, who planned to study law at the University of Texas at Austin, suffered a “fatal cardiac event” on October 20 after consuming at least one 12-ounce Alani can, according to the lawsuit obtained by the New York Post.

She was a beauty queen who won the Miss Texas Onion Fest 2024 and the inaugural Junior Miss Weslaco in 2022.

The family is seeking to recover damages from her death.

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“As a result of the wrongful conduct, Larissa Rodriguez suffered physical pain and mental anguish, pain, and torment prior to her death,” the lawsuit said.

Officials determined the teen died from cardiomyopathy, a serious disease of the heart muscles, which can be caused by excessive caffeine consumption.

Her parents, Jennifer and Roberto, noted in the lawsuit that several health organizations have said energy drinks do not belong in children’s diets.

The maximum daily caffeine intake for adolescents and children is 100 milligrams.

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Jennifer and Roberto claimed the 12-ounce can had 200 milligrams inside, which is significantly more than most other energy drinks and soft drinks on a per-ounce basis.

“Critically, it does not warn against excessive caffeine consumption,” the lawsuit stated.

“The 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,” the Rodriguezes argued.

Alani Nu was founded by Katy Hearn, a fitness influencer who marketed the drinks as a “better-for-you” lifestyle and wellness beverage, the lawsuit claimed, adding that its target audience was young women and minors through its advertisements on social media.

Kim Kardashian partnered with the brand in 2023, and other celebrities, including Emily Ratajkowski, have posed in ads for Alani Nu.

“Alani Nu’s 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,” the family argued.

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Her parents, Robert and Jennifer, claimed the drink’s warning label was printed in “small, inconspicuous text that is easily overlooked”Credit: Facebook/Jennifer A Rodriguez
 

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Rodriguez had planned to study law at the University of Texas at AustinCredit: Facebook/Jennifer A Rodriguez
An Alani can does have a brief warning label on the back saying it is “Not recommended for Children, People Sensitive to Caffeine, Pregnant Women or Women who are Nursing.”

But the family claims the warning “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.”

The suit also claimed the drink’s ingredients are allegedly “hidden within a vaguely described ‘Energy Blend’ that does not specify individual amounts, preventing consumers from making informed decisions about their intake.”

The family alleged Alani Nu has an undisclosed amount of taurine, an amino acid that can amplify the stimulant effects of caffeine.

Jennifer and Roberto’s lawsuit compared their daughter’s death to the lawsuits against Panera Bread for its highly caffeinated “Charged Lemonade.”

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The chain’s now-discontinued drinks were alleged to be linked to two deaths, including Sarah Katz, who drank one of the lemonades with 400 milligrams of caffeine in 2022 and suffered cardiac arrest later that day.

Katz had a heart condition and stayed away from energy drinks, but her family claimed Panera advertised the drink alongside “noncaffeinated and/or less caffeinated drinks” at the location she visited on the University of Pennsylvania’s campus.

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Rodriguez’s family is seeking recovery damages from her deathCredit: Facebook/Robert Rodriguez