By Ashley Wood/south news editor
Apparently, Red Bull does not actually give you wings and magical energetic powers.
A class action lawsuit was filed against Red Bull late in 2013. The company just announced its settlement to pay over $13 million to consumers in March.
Who in the world actually thought Red Bull the energy drink gave them wings? Well, Benjamin Careathers of New York did, and he won.
The mere fact that the slogan “Red Bull Gives You Wings” made people believe it actually might make them sprout wings is ridiculous.
Careathers said in court he had been using the energy drink since 2002 and the ads were misleading.
Energy drinks are simply high caffeine, sugary drinks with added extras such as ginseng and guarana, which are energy supplements.
The lawsuit reasoned that with no scientific proof to back up the claim that Red Bull gave a higher boost to energy than a regular cup of coffee, how did they know it wasn’t false?
With this settlement, consumers can write in for a reimbursement of $10 or ask for free products worth $15. People will flock to receive their payouts.
The public is not going to change its habits. Say, a college student gets up every morning for class and drinks a Red Bull. Why should that routine change just because some guy didn’t get his wings?
Red Bull released a statement saying it sold over 5.3 billion cans last year. The cans bought will likely keep going higher over the next couple years.
The American College of Medical Toxicology reports 34 percent of energy drink users are 18-24 years old, which it says is prime college age.
Most people reading this can probably remember their last energy drink. Mine was within the last five days. If my preferred brand of energy drink was going through a settlement not related to killing someone from the drink, I would still buy it.
Next up will be Monster getting sued for not turning someone into a beast or Rockstar for not making that person a musician. So if you have had a Red Bull between January 2002 and October 2014, go ahead and send in for your reimbursement now because the money won’t last long.
