Red Bull Has To Give Everyone Free Money Because It Doesn’t ‘Give You Wings’

A couple of days ago the parent company that owns Red Bull energy drinks agreed to pay up to $13 million to settle a lawsuit brought against them by one of Red Bull’s customers in a New York federal court for false advertising. Benjamin Careathers, who brought a suit against Red Bull GmbH in 2013, claims that he has been drinking Red Bull since 2002 and hasn’t experienced any of the positive effects of Red Bull implied in its advertising, like increased energy levels, improved concentration or faster reaction times.

Red Bull’s been peddling its “Red Bull gives you wings” line in ads for almost fifteen years, and while the actual presence of wings or otherwise isn’t what’s being argued here, it is commonly understood that drinking Red Bull will give you an energy boost.

According to the terms of the settlement, anyone in America who drank a Red Bull in the last twelve years or so is entitled to either $15 worth of Red Bull merchandise, or $10 cash — at least until that $13 million cap is reached, at which point the individual bounty each person can grab begins to shrink . A website’s been set up for people to stake their claim, and it isn’t demanding any proof of purchase. Buzzfeed reported on the settlement yesterday, and considering over five million people have read their article already, it stands to reason that more than 1.3 million people have filled out the “I want free money” form.

For the record, Red Bull denies it misled customers in its advertising, claiming they “settled the lawsuit to avoid the cost and distraction of litigation. However, Red Bull maintains that its marketing and labeling have always been truthful and accurate, and denies any and all wrongdoing or liability.”

At least the case means Red Bull might stop with ads like this.