The suit names two Glazer’s distributors, not the brand’s owner, and seeks more than $1 million.
WESLACO, Texas — The parents of a 17-year-old South Texas cheerleader filed a wrongful death lawsuit this week accusing a local beverage distributor of supplying Alani Nu energy drinks that they say contributed to their daughter’s fatal cardiac collapse in October.
The filing turns a private loss into a closely watched court fight over caffeine warnings, youth marketing and who bears responsibility when a popular energy drink is sold to a minor. The petition, filed April 8 in Hidalgo County District Court, names Glazer’s Beer and Beverage LLC and Glazer’s Beer and Beverage of Texas LLC. It does not name Alani Nutrition, Congo Brands or Celsius Holdings, which bought Alani Nu last year. No judge has ruled on the claims, and no hearing date had been publicly set by Sunday.
Larissa Nicole Rodriguez died Oct. 20, 2025, in Weslaco, according to her obituary. At the time, no public cause of death was announced. Nearly six months later, her parents, Jennifer Alicia Rodriguez and Roberto Rodriguez Jr., sued in Hidalgo County and said they were trying to answer a question many people in town had been asking since the fall. Standing with lawyers at a courthouse news conference on April 8, her mother said, “This is advocacy.” She also described a timeline that the family says began during homecoming weekend, when Larissa was drinking the product. Rodriguez said her daughter had one on Friday, one on Saturday and another on Sunday morning. The court filing is broader and says Larissa bought and drank one or more Alani Nu energy drinks on or about Oct. 20 and in the days leading up to it after purchasing them from an H-E-B in Hidalgo County.
The central medical claim in the case comes from the Hidalgo County Medical Examiner. The family’s petition says the examiner ruled that Larissa died from cardiomyopathy caused by excessive caffeine consumption. At the same news conference, attorney Benny Agosto Jr. said toxicology testing did not show drugs or alcohol and that “the only finding was caffeine.” He also said the family knew of no prior heart condition and no known family history of heart disease. The lawsuit points to the drink’s contents as the reason. A 12-ounce can lists 200 milligrams of caffeine. Current Alani Nu product pages also list taurine, L-theanine, guarana seed extract, Panax ginseng root extract, glucuronolactone and inositol, and they say the drink is not recommended for children, people sensitive to caffeine, or pregnant or nursing women. What the public record still does not show is exactly how many cans Larissa consumed over what stretch of time, or whether later expert testimony will narrow, support or challenge the family’s account.
That uncertainty sits beside a wider dispute over how the drink is sold and presented. In court papers, the family says Alani Nu was packaged and promoted less like a high-caffeine stimulant and more like a lifestyle or wellness product for young women. The petition points to bright cans, candy-style flavors and marketing built around zero sugar, low calories, beauty language and social media appeal. The company’s current online product pages describe the drinks in upbeat terms and highlight B vitamins along with 200 milligrams of caffeine per can. The broader business backdrop gives the case more weight. Celsius Holdings completed its acquisition of Alani Nu on April 1, 2025, in a $1.8 billion deal. In South Texas, Glazer’s already had a large local footprint. Court papers say the drinks at issue moved through Glazer’s Rio Grande Valley distribution facility at 3311 Development Drive in Weslaco. Local economic development officials have said the site is a 250,000-square-foot operation that employs about 200 people.
The legal claims are broad, even though the list of defendants is not. The lawsuit accuses the two Glazer’s entities of negligence, strict liability, design defect and failure to warn. It seeks wrongful death damages for Larissa’s parents and survival damages on behalf of her estate. In the petition’s prayer, the family says it is seeking damages in excess of $1 million, along with interest and other relief. The filing also asks the court to preserve evidence and leaves open the possibility that more defendants could be added later if discovery points in that direction. For now, the companies named in the caption are the two Glazer’s distributors only. The plaintiffs say they intend to proceed under Texas Level 2 discovery, the standard track that usually includes document exchanges, written questions, depositions and expert testimony. By Sunday, no public answer from the defendants had appeared in the record reviewed for this story, and the court had not publicly scheduled an initial hearing.
Outside the legal claims, the case has reopened a loss that had already shaken Weslaco. Larissa’s obituary described her as student council president, National Honor Society parliamentarian and co-captain of the varsity cheer team at Weslaco High School. It said she ranked in the top 5% of her class and hoped to attend the University of Texas at Austin and study law. Friends and community members had remembered her in the days after her death as a mentor, a role model and a familiar face in school events, pageants and service projects. In local coverage that week, Karla Monje said Larissa was leaving “shattered hearts” behind. That public grief now sits alongside a legal record built from court filings, medical findings and disputed questions about packaging, warnings and youth appeal. For her family, the case is both a lawsuit and a way to put Larissa’s final months into a form that can be argued, tested and answered in court.
As of Sunday, the lawsuit remained at the pleading stage. The next public milestone is likely to come when Glazer’s files its formal response and the Hidalgo County court begins setting deadlines for discovery, motions and any first hearing.
Author note: Last updated April 12, 2026.