Red Bull! It gives you wings and makes you want to vomit unicorn hairballs when consumed with Jägermeister. The energy drink company recently settled a false advertising lawsuit which means that it owes anyone who bought one of its drinks between January 1, 2002 and October 3, 2014 a little crumb of their profit pie. As part of the settlement, they’re paying out $13 million to Americans in either $10 cash or $15 in Red Bull product.
Since you *probably* bought a can of Red Bull in the last 12 years, we’ll tell you how to collet that 10-spot down below. But first, a little bit about the lawsuit. It’s from a claim that Red Bull has falsely advertised the “performance-enhancing” aspects of its product. Via:
The suit says that a 7 oz. cup of drip coffee contains approximately 115 to 175 milligrams of caffeine, depending on the blend, and a 12 oz. serving of Starbucks coffee costs $1.85 and “would contain far more caffeine than a regular serving of Red Bull.” An 8.4 oz. can of Red Bull contains 80 milligrams of caffeine.
“Even though there is a lack of genuine scientific support for a claim that Red Bull branded energy drinks provide any more benefit to a consumer than a cup of coffee, the Red Bull defendants persistently and pervasively market their product as a superior source of ‘energy’ worthy of a premium price over a cup of coffee or other sources of caffeine,” the suit says.
TL;DR: Someone really thought Red Bull would give them wings. When it didn’t, they lawyered the fuck up.
Red Bull maintains this is bullshit, but is settling anyway “to avoid the cost and distraction of litigation.”
As part of the settlement, consumers can claim their $10 or $15 in Red Bull product on this website. Go get, Bros.
[H/T: Buzzfeed]