Booted as predicted

[YogsVR4]

Obesity Suit Against McDonald's Dismissed

By Gail Appleson

NEW YORK (Reuters) - In a major victory for the fast food industry, a federal judge on Wednesday dismissed a widely watched suit in which McDonald's hamburgers and French fries were blamed for children's obesity.

U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet said the plaintiffs, including a 14-year-old girl who is 4-foot-10 and 170 pounds, failed to show McDonald's Corp.(NYSE:MCD - news) products presented a danger unknown to consumers. He also cited concerns the case could "spawn thousands of similar 'McLawsuits"' against all types of restaurants.

"This opinion is guided by the principle that legal consequences should not attach to the consumption of hamburgers and other fast food fare unless consumers are unaware of the dangers of eating such food," Sweet said.

"If consumers know...the potential ill health effect of eating at McDonald's, they cannot blame McDonald's if they, nonetheless, choose to satiate their appetite with a surfeit of supersized McDonald's products."

Although the judge threw out the suit in it's entirety, he ruled the plaintiffs could refile claims in Manhattan federal court within certain limits.

Sweet also said McDonald's had rightfully pointed out that the case was the first of its kind to reach this stage in federal court and could result in thousands of copycat cases.

The suit was brought on behalf of overweight children who ate at two McDonald's restaurants in the Bronx borough of New York City. The plaintiffs sought unspecified damages, blaming McDonald's for health problems that included diabetes, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and elevated cholesterol.

The suit was one of at least four cases filed against McDonald's and other fast food chains over the obesity issue. At least two cases have been dropped and another is dormant.

The judge noted that Americans spend more than $110 billion on fast food each year, and cited studies showing that on any given day in the United States, almost one in four adults visits a fast-food restaurant.

"The potential for lawsuits is even greater given the numbers of persons who eat food prepared at other restaurants in addition to those serving fast food," Sweet said, citing reports that show almost half of the American food dollar is spent on food eaten away from home.

He said the court had a duty to "limit the legal consequences of wrongs to a controllable degree and to protect against crushing exposure to liability."

[RazorGTR]

Some how this seems all too dajvu. Remember the lawsuits against the tabacco companies? This would appear to be a ripple effect of that.

Good on the judge. It should never have went so far to begin with.

[Polygon]

HAHAHAHA, McLawsuits, I love that!! :hehehe:

This is good news. I get sick of people suing over things that are obviously their fault. You’re too fat, then stop cramming your face with foods that cause it. It’s not like the fast food chains hide the fact that their food is very nutritious. This whole situation is just laughable.

[taranaki]

Great news! Now they can start the marketing campaign........

[KatWoman]

LOLOL, aint America grand?

Well, folks, here are Kat's Predicitons for the next product liability suits that make national headlines:

Soft Drink Industry: for all your rotting teeth and crystalized kidneys.

Coffee Industry: for staining your teeth and internal organs, not to mention people who are wired enough without it are drinking it.

Nutrasweet: for contributing to brain damage, memory loss, chronic fatigue syndrome, depression and fibromyalgia. (since I found this out, unsweetened iced tea aint all that bad)

Hostess: for all the Twinkies & DingDongs consumed and inches added to the waistline and then some (see McDonalds)

Alcohol Industry: for creating beverages that destroy your liver, add to the waistline and turn into addicitons for alot of people.

Bread/Grain Companies: we all know carbs are evil and for all the sugarcoated cereal rotting our kids teeth and making them more hyper.

Mattel: for creating the evil Barbie doll who is destructive to the self-esteems of our young girls who become anorexic, fashion victims and shopaholics.

Entertainment Industry: for taking our money and puttig out crap

Audio Industry: for making sound-listening devices that render you deaf after cranking up the volume.

Office Supply Industry: for those idiots who staple their fingers or break a nail on the 3-hole punch....I already have filed my complaint Look out for next week's People magazine LOL

Computer Industry: where shall I start?

The World: just for existing so that the above may potentially exist. Hence, I already have my complaint drafted and ready to file

[YogsVR4]

Well Kat - considering that tobacco lawsuit opened the door for all sorts of headline makers, I bet we will see some of those

[freakray]

But how come some people seem to have 2 shoved in their pants??

[KatWoman]

Originally posted by YogsVR4
Well Kat - considering that tobacco lawsuit opened the door for all sorts of headline makers, I bet we will see some of those

Funny thing, 6 months or so before the McD's lawsuits, Alex and I were having coffee and talking about nutrition/working out etc....I jokingly said something about people suing McD's for getting fat.....you dont understand how hard I fell outta my chair when the first story came out.

[taranaki]

Here's a queastion....if I get haemorrhoids from sitting at my computer desk for too long,can I sue Bill Gates?

[ragt20]

hahah....at last common sense prevails good on the Judge....

[Polygon]

Originally posted by taranaki
Here's a queastion....if I get haemorrhoids from sitting at my computer desk for too long,can I sue Bill Gates?

Nope, you have to sue the manufacture of the poorly constructed chair.

[moondog]

Originally posted by Polygon
HAHAHAHA, McLawsuits, I love that!! :hehehe:

This is good news. I get sick of people suing over things that are obviously their fault. You’re too fat, then stop cramming your face with foods that cause it. It’s not like the fast food chains hide the fact that their food is very nutritious. This whole situation is just laughable.

nononononononono...nothing is anyone's fault. It can all be blamed on somebody else. Whatever is wrong in your life, it's somebody else's fault. You're fat? Blame McD's. You're a clumsy arse and fall down stairs? Blame the people who made the stairs, and didn't put up a sign saying "Caution, you are walking down stairs, and could possibly fall down if you're a clumsy-arse". Nothing is anyone's fault anymore - I can't believe you think people have any responsibilty for their lives. You fascist!

[Graphik Styles]

Originally posted by moondog


nononononononono...nothing is anyone's fault. It can all be blamed on somebody else. Whatever is wrong in your life, it's somebody else's fault. You're fat? Blame McD's. You're a clumsy arse and fall down stairs? Blame the people who made the stairs, and didn't put up a sign saying "Caution, you are walking down stairs, and could possibly fall down if you're a clumsy-arse". Nothing is anyone's fault anymore - I can't believe you think people have any responsibilty for their lives. You fascist!

hahahahahh i should try that at my highschool.........fall down the stairs and instead of money ask for better grades..........heh heh

[Steel]

Originally posted by taranaki
Here's a queastion....if I get haemorrhoids from sitting at my computer desk for too long,can I sue Bill Gates?

You should sue your asshole for getting the hemmeroids and casuing you physical pain, and emotional pain from your coworkers ridiculing your hemmeroids, and also to make up for the lost money on preparation h.

[Polygon]

Originally posted by moondog


nononononononono...nothing is anyone's fault. It can all be blamed on somebody else. Whatever is wrong in your life, it's somebody else's fault. You're fat? Blame McD's. You're a clumsy arse and fall down stairs? Blame the people who made the stairs, and didn't put up a sign saying "Caution, you are walking down stairs, and could possibly fall down if you're a clumsy-arse". Nothing is anyone's fault anymore - I can't believe you think people have any responsibilty for their lives. You fascist!

Literally, I almost fell out of my chair laughing. :hehehe: :cwn27: