• 20
  • August
    2010

Baton Rouge product liability attorneys are watching the case of a wrongful death lawsuit that has been filed against the makers of 5-Hour Energy. 5-Hour Energy is a popular 2-ounce energy drink. The plaintiffs say it caused a heart attack for a 27-year old Tennessee man. 

Monica Hassell, the wife of Antonio Hassell, filed the product liability lawsuit in U.S. District Court late last month. The defendant is Living Essentials, the company that manufactures 5-Hour Energy. According to the complaint, Antonio Hassell had been drinking the shot-like energy drinks to stay awake during late shifts at a warehouse.

Mr. Hassell suffered a heart attack...

on August 2, 2009, while playing basketball, after about a month of drinking 5-Hour Energy on a regular basis. Seven months later, he died.

The Hassells' lawsuit alleges that Living Essentials failed to properly warn consumers about the health risks of 5-Hour Energy or its potentially lethal side effects. The plaintiffs say in their complaint that the labels of the energy drinks are designed to lead consumers to believe that there has been pre-marketing clinical testing on the safety of the products, which is not the case.

Hassell's doctors are prepared to testify that the drink, which contains a combination of caffeine, taurine, glucuronolactone, malic acid, and other ingredients, was the sole cause for his heart attack.

5-Hour Energy drink holds nearly 80% of the energy drink market. It is considered a dietary supplement and not regulated by the FDA.

Living Essentials has kept the specific recipe for the drink a secret, but the lawsuit claims that the ingredients as listed are known to increase the risk of strokes, blood clots, heart attacks and other illnesses.