The Ryan Garcia Prime lawsuit is a defamation case Prime Hydration LLC filed against boxer Ryan Garcia in federal court in Texas in May 2024, accusing him of using his social media reach to spread false claims that the energy drink contains cyanide, causes liver damage, and harms children. The case, Prime Hydration LLC v. Garcia (No. 3:24-cv-01260), is pending in the Northern District of Texas before Judge Sam Lindsay, and as of mid-2026 Garcia is under court sanctions for refusing to sit for his deposition.
What Garcia Said About Prime
Prime’s complaint identifies a run of spring 2024 posts Garcia made to an audience the filing estimated at more than 20 million followers across platforms. He accused Prime of containing “horrible chemicals” that hurt children, said the drinks cause liver damage, and claimed they contain cyanide.1Bloomberg Law. Jake Paul’s Prime Drink Says Rival Boxer Garcia Spread Lies In other posts he said the drink would “hurt you big time” and that anyone consuming it was “working for Satan.”2Law360. Logan Paul’s Energy Drink Co Sues Boxer for Defamation
He also shared an Instagram post pairing a screenshot of a Google result about Prime Energy’s caffeine content with a caption calling Prime co-founder Logan Paul a “pedo allegedly” and accusing him of “hurting kids.”3Yahoo Sports. Logan Paul Announces Defamation Lawsuit Against Ryan Garcia
The core allegation of the complaint goes to Garcia’s state of mind: Prime says he admitted he knew the accusations were untrue but kept sharing them, stating an intent “to destroy Prime.”1Bloomberg Law. Jake Paul’s Prime Drink Says Rival Boxer Garcia Spread Lies Prime filed the suit on May 23, 2024, in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Texas.
Garcia’s Apology and On-Camera Retraction
Within days of being sued, Garcia reversed publicly. In a late-May 2024 interview with Ana Paula Saenz, he apologized to Logan Paul: “I just want to say I’m sorry. I just feel bad for the fight that we’re going through, because I’ve known the family for years.” He drank a Prime beverage on camera, called it “bomb as fuck,” and pulled back the health claims: “I don’t got a problem with Prime. I had a problem with you.”4Complex. Ryan Garcia Apologizes to Logan Paul Over Prime Energy Drink Lawsuit The apology did not end the litigation.
The Motion to Dismiss Ruling
Garcia moved to dismiss the complaint. On March 31, 2025, Judge Lindsay granted the motion in part, dismissing two of Prime’s claims without prejudice and ordering Prime to file an amended complaint. The rest of Prime’s claims survived and the case moved into discovery.5PACER Monitor. Prime Hydration LLC v Garcia
Discovery Fights and Court-Ordered Sanctions
By early 2026 the case had stalled in discovery disputes. Garcia lodged broad objections to Prime’s interrogatories and document requests, and he did not appear for a deposition scheduled for May 1, 2026. When Prime moved to compel, Garcia’s attorneys argued the deposition should wait until after a May 12, 2026 mediation and until Garcia had first deposed Prime’s representatives. The court rejected both arguments, holding that Garcia could not “unilaterally postpone” his deposition without seeking a protective order.5PACER Monitor. Prime Hydration LLC v Garcia
On June 12, 2026, Magistrate Judge David L. Horan issued two rulings against Garcia. He ordered Garcia to sit for a deposition on June 23, 2026, and sanctioned him for the missed May deposition by ordering him to pay Prime’s attorney’s fees. He also overruled Garcia’s objections to numerous interrogatories and production requests, writing that Garcia’s response “does not take issue with any of Prime’s challenges to his objections or deficient answers.” Garcia was ordered to provide verified answers by June 22 and produce documents by June 26.5PACER Monitor. Prime Hydration LLC v Garcia
Prime has also moved to strike Garcia’s expert witness disclosures. That motion is pending. No trial date has been set, and the court has left dispositive motion deadlines to Judge Lindsay.5PACER Monitor. Prime Hydration LLC v Garcia
The Timing With Garcia’s Failed Drug Test
Garcia’s attacks on Prime played out alongside his positive PED test. On April 20, 2024, Garcia beat Devin Haney by majority decision at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. His A-sample came back positive for the banned substance ostarine on May 1, and his B-sample confirmed the result on May 23, the same day Prime filed suit.6NBC New York. Ryan Garcia Positive B-Sample Devin Haney Fight Garcia’s team blamed a contaminated supplement, citing ostarine levels “in the billionth of a gram range”; the supplement’s manufacturer, BodyHealth, said two accredited labs found no ostarine in the product.7Yahoo Sports. Ryan Garcia Suspended One Year After Failed Drug Test
On June 20, 2024, the New York State Athletic Commission announced a settlement: a one-year suspension retroactive to the fight date, the Haney win changed to a no-contest, a $10,000 fine, and forfeiture of Garcia’s disclosed purse of roughly $1.1 million.8CBS Sports. Ryan Garcia Suspended One Year by New York Commission After Failed Drug Test The research does not show Garcia blaming Prime for his positive test, but the two storylines ran on the same clock in public conversation.
What the Lawsuit Is Not About
Prime has faced its own scrutiny over caffeine content, and it’s worth separating that from the claims in this case. In July 2023, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer asked the FDA to investigate Prime Energy, noting that a 12-ounce can contains 200 milligrams of caffeine, roughly equivalent to six cans of Coca-Cola, and criticizing influencer marketing he said reached children under 18.9NPR. Logan Paul KSI Prime Energy Drink Caffeine Prime has said its caffeine levels are “within the legal limit of the countries it’s sold in,” that its hydration line contains no caffeine, and that its energy cans carry labels saying the product is “not recommended” for those under 18.10ABC7 News. Prime Drink Investigation FDA Caffeine Content
None of that public debate over caffeine supports the specific statements Prime is suing over: that its drinks contain cyanide, cause liver damage, or otherwise poison children. Those are the claims at the center of the case.
Where the Case Stands
The lawsuit is active in the Northern District of Texas. Prime’s surviving claims are moving through discovery, Garcia has been sanctioned and ordered to comply with outstanding requests by late June 2026, and the fight over his expert disclosures is still open. No trial date is on the calendar.5PACER Monitor. Prime Hydration LLC v Garcia Given the pace of noncompliance so far, a resolution is unlikely before 2027.