The law requires that goods that are sold in commerce be of a certain minimum quality. This is particularly the case when the product is something edible. Food and drink manufacturers and sellers are mandated by law to abide by strict parameters and regulations. If a corporation intentionally sells harmful products, or unknowingly sells harmful products that it should have known were harmful, they may be held accountable for any harm that results from ingesting or eating their product.
One product that tends to get a lot of scrutiny for potential health risks are energy drinks, such as Red Bull, Amp, Rock Star, and Monster Energy. It is sometimes suggested that their bursts of energy come with damaging side-effects, which can cause serious damage over time. This was the belief when 19-year-old Alex Morris was pronounced dead at Kaiser Permanente Hospital in northern California after going into cardiac arrest. Morris was a healthy teenager, but had been known to consume two to three cans of Monster Energy drink every day since he was sixteen. Morris had consumed two 16-ounce Monster cans earlier in the day before his extreme atrial fibrillation event.
As reported in lawyersandsettlements.com, Morris’s mother’s attorney, Kevin Golderberg, is arguing that Monster Energy “knew or should have known, among other things, that its drinks presented and continue to present a substantial danger.” In the lawsuit, it is alleged that Monster Energy “failed to warn consumers of the true risks, scope and severity of potential side effects of the Monster drinks that Alex Morris consumed, such as increased risk of stroke, blood clots, heart attack and cardiac arrhythmia.” Monster Energy is responsible for about 36% of the sales in the $10 billion energy drink industry. If their drink is considered to be harmful, and they failed to adequately warn the public, they could be facing a massive product liability lawsuit.
