News

Judge says no to group suit against McDonald's

October 27, 2010

A group of consumers who filed a lawsuit against McDonald's for contributing to childhood obesity will not be able to proceed with the case as one unit.

A U.S. Court of International Trade judge said the consumers' complaints were too distinct to be grouped together for the lawsuit. The class size was expected to number in the thousands.

Bloomberg reported the decision Wednesday.

The group originally claimed the quick-service chain's deceptive marketing practices - particularly focused on its chicken McNuggets, fish sandwiches, hamburgers and french fries - contributed to their obesity, thus harming their health.

The judge, however, said other similarly-aged people had not experienced the same effects after being exposed to the same marketing and food opportunities.

The suit was originally filed in 2002. In 2005, a judge dismissed the case; however that decision was reversed in appeals court, which ruled the plaintiffs should have the opportunity to collect evidence in support of their claims.

This is not the only instance in which McDonald's has been accused of contributing to obesity and criticized for its marketing strategies.

Lawmakers in California have been grappling with the idea of banning Happy Meals for this same reason. San Francisco is the latest city to mull over the proposal.

Despite the criticism, however, McDonald's has been transparent about its products' nutritional information.

From the story:

“We are extremely pleased with the court’s decision today,” Heidi Barker, a spokeswoman for McDonald’s. “As we have maintained throughout these proceedings, it is unfair to blame McDonald’s for this complex societal problem.”