The family of a 25-year-old Anton Omelin who died on October 30, 2014, has sued 3 different energy drink companies in connection with his sudden death.

The lawsuit which was filed in Tacoma, Washington alleges that on that on the night he died, the deceased drank Redbull, NOS and Monster Energy before his untimely demise. Anton’s wife, Anna Omelin, filed the litigation against the Red Bull, Monster and the Hansen Beverage Company which operates as a subsidiary of Monster Beverage Corporation and distributes NOS.

According to the complaint, on the day of his death, Anton learned that he would be taking over the family’s business and to celebrate, he purchased some cognac, fruits, and chocolates. His wife Anna alleges that by 9 PM on the night of October 29 Anton had consumed 2-3 shots of the liquor along with 2 cans (16-ounce) of Red Bull. On October 30 around 7 am in the morning, Anna found him unresponsive on the bathroom floor in vomit. The emergency response team arrived shortly after that and pronounced him dead. According to the Pierce County Medical Examiner’s Office Omelin died of aspiration of gastric contents influenced by alcohol intoxication.

The suit which was filed Oct. 18 in U.S. District Court contends that the manufacturers failed to provide warning or instructions to consumers against the risk of use of energy drinks with alcohol, during physical exercise and overconsumption. The complaint which seeks unspecified damages states that such a warning would have stopped Anton Omelin from taking part in such risky activities.

The complainant suggests warnings on energy drinks such as:

• “Do not use with alcohol and while exercising.”
• “Do not exceed two drinks in a 24-hour period.”
• “May cause cardiovascular problems, insomnia, nausea, vomit, and death.”

The Defendants argue that their products are safe for consumption with Monster stating that the amount of caffeine contained in a Monster Energy drink is half of that in a Starbucks coffee. They cited the lack of medical or scientific explanation as to any link between the death of Anton Omelin and Monster energy drinks or any other branded energy drinks. They further argued that many similar lawsuits linked to energy drinks had been dismissed for lack of merit and that studies alleging an increased risk from normal use are misleading.