Monster Wrongful Death Lawsuit Bound for Mediation

RIVERSIDE, CAA lawsuit filed last year against Monster Beverage Corp. by the parents of a 14-year-old girl who died is going to mediation.

The California judge on Thursday ordered mediation, CNBC reported.

Tammy Taylor, a spokeswoman for Monster, said the company had no comment on the court's order.

Mediation is a process in which a neutral, third party seeks to facilitate a resolution to a dispute, although a mediator cannot force parties to settle a lawsuit.

In the lawsuit, the parents of Anais Fournier contend Monster's energy drinks caused their daughter's death. Monster has blamed the girl's death on a preexisting heart condition, and medical experts it retained contend the energy-drink giant was not even partially responsible.

R. Rex Parris Law Firm, one of the firms representing Fournier's parents, did not immediately respond Friday on whether it had a comment on the mediation order.

But Kevin Goldberg, another attorney representing the plaintiffs, told CNBC: "Anais' parents were hoping a trial date would be set at the hearing and they're frustrated that despite mounting evidence that energy drinks are dangerous and should not be consumed by children or anyone with an underlying heart condition, Monster continues to sell thousands of energy drinks to young people every day."