CORONA, Calif. -- Energy-drink manufacturers—and Monster Beverage Corp., specifically—likely breathed a sigh of relief this spring when more than a dozen lawsuits filed against the drink maker were abandoned.
Law firm Morgan & Morgan filed the lawsuits against Monster Energy Co. and Monster Beverage Corp. in February and March 2016, claiming that drinking Monster Energy drinks caused a variety of ailments in its clients. The drinks, plaintiffs' attorneys said, contain a “lethal dose” of caffeine. “Overconsumption of energy drinks has led to heart attacks, strokes and even death.”
Late this spring, Morgan & Morgan abandoned all lawsuits, according to Monster Energy Co.
“The voluntary dismissal of these lawsuits, we believe, speaks volumes,” said Marc P. Miles of Shook, Hardy & Bacon, counsel for Monster Energy Co. "There is a lot of misinformation in the public about energy drinks. Once the substantial body of scientific evidence is reviewed, the safety of Monster Energy drinks becomes readily apparent."
Governmental regulatory agencies in North America and Europe have found no health concerns associated with the consumption of energy drinks or their ingredients at the levels contained in them, Monster Energy said. A 16-ounce Monster Energy drink contains approximately 160 milligrams of caffeine from all sources, about half the caffeine of a medium coffee sold in a coffeehouse, the company said, citing a peer-reviewed study from University of Texas professors.
"Our findings suggest that consumption of a commercially available energy drink does not adversely affect cardiac [rate or blood pressure]," the study, provided to CSP Daily News by Monster and first published in January 2016, concluded. "In fact, the effect of the energy drink was similar to the effect of coffee and water consumption."
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