Monster Says Drink Didn't Kill Girl

Lawyer for company says no blood tests were done to show relationship

The death of a 14-year-old girl who has become the poster child for banning caffeine-fueled energy drinks can't be blamed on the beverages, lawyers for the Monster Beverage Corp. said Monday. 

Dan Callahan, a lawyer for Monster, said no blood tests were conducted to prove that Anais Fournier actually died of caffeine toxicity after drinking two 24-ounce Monster drinks in two days, and the girl had several preexisting conditions that predisposed her to the sudden cardiac arrhythmia that killed her in December 2011. 

The company faces a wrongful death lawsuit filed last fall by the Maryland girl's parents, Wendy Crossland and Richard Fournier.