Corona-based Monster Energy has filed a federal lawsuit against a competitor, alleging that the company falsely claims its energy drink can cure various ailments.

Monster has sued VPX, contending that the Florida-based company and CEO Jack Owoc sell Bang energy drinks by misleading and deceiving the public about the product’s ingredients and the benefits of consumption. Monster’s suit alleges that Bang wrongly says it can “reverse mental retardation,” help cure Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and is the “healthiest energy drink.”

“The lawsuit is about false advertising and deceptive practices,” said Marc Miles, an attorney representing Monster. “We all have the responsibility to protect consumers from companies that blatantly deceive.”

Owac denied the accusation, said his company never made untruthful claims and added that Monster drinks should be pulled from shelves.

Monster is asking that VPX not be allowed to make false claims about its drinks and to pay damages to Monster at an amount the court finds to be appropriate.

“Simply put, defendants’ advertising and marketing scheme tricks consumers into believing they are getting something they are not,” the suit alleges. “Bang is marketed as a modern-day snake oil.”

Owac said the suit has no merit.

“This is fake, falsified and fabricated news,” he wrote in a statement. “… I never claim that Bang can treat, cure or prevent any disease.”

He cited scientific research and said that Bang Master Blaster was proven to increase lean mass. Owac called it a powerful non-hormonal legal performance-enhancing and muscle building alternative to anabolic steroids.

“On the other hand, Monster Energy drinks have been associated with 17 deaths and adverse events too numerous to count,” Owac wrote. “It is, therefore, imperative that Monster be pulled from store shelves immediately because it represents a serious health threat to humans and children.”

Monster says Owac is “attempting to boost sales by disparaging legitimate energy drinks by falsely calling them ‘life-sucking sodas’ that cause consumers to ‘crash harder than a test dummy into a brick wall.’” Those quotes come from the VPX website.

Miles said there is a finite number of people who buy energy drinks and companies such as Monster are harmed if consumers purchase Bang based on false claims.

In the suit, Monster says VPX has violated California’s unfair competition and false advertising laws and claims by VPX have harmed Monster’s business.

“Monster is likely to suffer, has suffered, and will continue to suffer damages to its business and goodwill, the loss of sales and profits it would have made but for defendants’ wrongful acts,” the suit states.

The lawsuit, filed Tuesday, Sept. 4, in Riverside, has not yet been served to VPX, Miles said.

The lawsuit states that VPX and Owoc have been cited in the past for making unsubstantiated claims for several products,

Owoc calls out Monster and Rodney Sacks, its CEO and chairman, in his response to the suit and a news release announcing it.

“Monster knows they cannot compete with Bang’s super positive branding message,” he wrote. “Monster cannot compete with Bang’s world-rocking flavor profiles … Sacks knows that Bang has unstoppable velocity and momentum.”

Owoc’s statement says that competing against Monster is “an unfair match. Owoc competing again Sacks/Monster is like Michael Jordan competing against a junior varsity high schooler. Monster is in big trouble.”