Monster Beverage Sued Nearly Year After Teenager's Death

RIVERSIDE, Calif. Monster Beverage Corp. faces a lawsuit nearly a year after the death of a Maryland teenager who consumed two 24-ounce energy drinks within a 24-hour period. In a suit filed against Monster in California Superior Court in Riverside, the parents of 14-year-old Anais Fournier have alleged wrongful death.

Monster, based in Corona, Calif., plans to defend itself, and in a statement quoted by the Baltimore Sun, the company said it was "unaware of any fatality that has been caused by its drinks".

Fournier, of Hagerstown, Md., suffered a heart attack in December 2011 as a result of caffeine toxicity after consuming two Monster drinks. Doctors induced a coma in order to reduce brain swelling but a decision was made to terminate life support after several days, the Sun reported, citing the lawsuit.

Her death prompted a U.S. senator to ask the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to enforce its regulatory authority over caffeine levels in energy drinks marketed as supplements. And over the summer, Monster revealed that its energy drinks were the target of an unnamed state attorney general inquiry.