Cory Terry, 33, had been playing basketball for about 45 minutes on Nov. 8, 2011, when he drank a can of Red Bull—and then felt lightheaded, collapsed, and died of a heart attack. An autopsy found his cause of death was idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, which can be caused by any number of things. But the medic's report did note the energy drink, and Terry's grandmother says the New York man was otherwise healthy. Now the family is suing the energy drink maker for $85 million, claiming the Red Bull killed him, the New York Daily News reports.
Terry "drank that stuff all the time," his grandmother says. "He said it perked him up." But, the family's lawyer contends, the beverage contains "extra stimulants that make it different than a cup of coffee," and it is "more dangerous than what Red Bull lets on." While the FDA says 18 deaths are suspected to be linked to energy drinks, and many more health issues have also been attributed to the beverages, this is believed to be the first wrongful death lawsuit filed against Red Bull. (More Red Bull stories.)