Fatties waisting their time?
2003-06-20 08:25
Washington - A US congressional panel on Thursday considered whether overweight Americans should be able to sue restaurants and other food makers for obesity-related health costs.
According to government statistics, the United States has 300 000 obesity-related deaths a year, while the country spends $100bn a year treating weight-related health problems.
A bill working its way through the House of Representatives would bar overweight plaintiffs from seeking monetary damages from a restaurant or food manufacturer for their obesity.
"There is a real and present danger of an uncontrollable avalanche of lawsuits against the food industry," said Representative Chris Cannon, a Republican from Utah.
Washington, DC restaurateur Christianne Ricchi told the panel that Congress should protect restaurants and food manufacturers from lawsuits filed by obese people who blame fast food outlets for their expanding waistlines.
Such suits "could have a significant and detrimental impact on my small business and the entire industry," she said.
"The thought that someone can file a lawsuit based in part on a choice they have made regarding where to dine and what to eat is disturbing," she said.
Legal experts said trial lawyers in search of a big payday could trigger an avalanche of such suits.
"Blaming the industry is big money," said Richard Berman, executive director of the Center for Consumer Freedom.
Opponents of the bill argued that Congress should not interfere with the judicial process, and said courts would likely throw out most of the suits anyway.
"We don't like the results of a lawsuit so we try to do away with an entire system of common law remedies," Melvin Watt, a Democrat from North Carolina, said at the hearing. "I'm flabbergasted by it."
John Banzhaf, a law professor at George Washington University, criticised lawmakers for doing too little to stem an explosion of overweight Americans in the past few decades.
He urged Congress to draft legislation to crack down on fast food, forcing the industry to end misleading advertising and to clearly disclose nutritional information.