Red Bull Sued For $85 Million After The Energy Drink Allegedly Killed A Brooklyn Father

The mother of a deceased 33-year-old Brooklyn father has filed an $85 million lawsuit against Red Bull that claims the energy drink gave him a deadly heart attack, The New York Daily News reports.

The lawsuit filed by Cory Terry's mother is believed to be the first wrongful death lawsuit against Red Bull.

Red Bull has been linked to nine deaths around the world, according to the complaint, which reportedly cites scientific studies finding the drink is especially dangerous for people who exercise and teenagers.

The drink has about the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee.

But the lawyer who filed the suit, Ilya Novofastovsky, told the Daily News that Red Bull has “extra stimulants that make it different than a cup of coffee.”  He added, “They are more dangerous than what Red Bull lets on.” (In addition to caffeine, Red Bull contains B-vitamins, sucrose and glucose, and an amino acid called Taurine.)

Cory Terry had been playing basketball in November 2011 for about 45 minutes when he drank a can of Red Bull and then collapsed, according to the Daily News. His heart had stopped.

The Food and Drug Administration posted 21 reports last year related to Red Bull that the agency had received since 2004. The reports included panic attacks, anxiety, chest pain, dizziness, and vomiting. (The reports do not, however, note whether people had other health problems that could have caused these symptoms.)

A 2011 study in the journal Pediatrics on energy drinks like Red Bull noted that heavy caffeine consumption was linked to seizures, mania, stroke, and even death.

A Red Bull spokeswoman declined to discuss the specifics of the case with the Daily News, but noted that the drink is sold in 165 countries around the world "because health authorities across the world have concluded that Red Bull Energy Drink is safe to consume."

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