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"Freedom and Tort Reform" by Dick Armey, CSE Co-Chairman

"An elite group of greedy trial lawyers are exploiting the legal system for their own gain. The balance has tilted too far and all of us pay more for goods then we need to and have fewer products to choose from due to manufacturer fear of exploitative lawsuits."

"They're Hatin' It" by Robert Lennon

"It seems that in the war on "Big Food," the industry won the opening battle but is bracing itself for a longer struggle"

"The $3,000 an Hour Trial Lawyer " by Dick Armey, CSE Co-Chairman

" Five dollar vouchers for the “victims,” hundreds of millions of dollars in cash for the lawyers."

MLAW's wacky warning Label awards

Since JB considers warning labels of all types to be a justification for litigating against McDonalds, MLAW's awards are a must see.

"Does a McDonald's binge prove fast food is 'unreasonably dangerous'?" by Jacob Sullum

" [Spurlock] seems torn between the main story line of his movie, in which sneaky corporations manipulate people into overeating, and the more complicated reality, in which companies respond to consumer demands that are only sometimes driven by health considerations. "

"If you are what you eat, then sue" by Debra Saunders

"The war against Big Mac has begun -- even though it is no corporate secret that fast food is fattening."

"Legal experts predict new rounds in food fight" by Laura Parker

controversial obesity lawsuit against McDonald's may have been thrown out of court. But it inspired the movie Super Size Me, which opens today and promises to raise the volume in the debate over fast food and obesity.

'Super Size Me' Is Just Another Sick Reality Show by Richard Berman

Documentary films may have their own Oscar category, but they rarely appear in mainstream theaters. Still, ''Super Size Me'' -- which earned Morgan Spurlock the nod for best documentary director at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival -- is coming soon to a theater near you. What makes ''Super Size Me'' exceptional? Simple. It's not a documentary at all.

"Fast Food Damnation " by Jacob Sullum

'Why worry about stupid lawsuits?'

"You'd Better Watch Out ... for Christmas Lawsuits!" by the Center for Consumer Freedom

A handy legal notice from the CCF to help you make sure Saint Nick wont send for JB if he gains a few pounds from Christmas cookies left out by the stockings.

"Very Little Truth In Labeling" by Richard Berman

What's wrong with forcing restaurants to label menus in the same way food companies label a box of cereal? Restaurant portions are not standardized and simply cannot be. Imagine chefs and waiters having to serve identically portioned slices of meatloaf and carefully calibrated dollops of mashed potatoes.

NEW! Center for Consumer Freedom ad! (Dec 17, 2003)

The ad warns that trial lawyers are moving beyond ambulance chasing to an even more lucrative target: the food you eat.

" Put it Out, Even Outside City streets: The new 'No Smoking' intersection" by Jonathon Curiel

A disturbing look at JB's dream world where we need not make any choices for ourselves or worry about "platitudes like personal responsibility and all that crap!"

"Schools in a flap over soft drinks" by Scott Leith

"Banzhaf believes there is a good argument for suing school boards for allowing soft drinks, arguing they have a fiduciary duty to protect the interests of schoolchildren."

"Seattle school board targeted for soda pact" by Marguerite Higgins

 Trial lawyers plan to target school board members in Seattle who voted to extend a soda-machine contract with Coca-Cola Co. in elections this fall

"Lawyers scream about ice cream" by Marguerite Higgins

Trial lawyers and a consumer health group are teaming up to go after America's ice cream

"Reductio ad Totalitarianism" by Robert Tracinski

Having gorged themselves on plump settlements from big tobacco, a group of liability lawyers gathered in Boston last weekend to plan a new set of lawsuits against fast-food companies, blaming them for an epidemic of American obesity

"Public Balks at Obesity Lawsuits" From the Gallup Organization

Americans seem inclined to back the efforts of U.S. Sen. Mitch McConnell, who is leading the congressional charge to thwart obesity lawsuits against the food industry.

"Battling the Fat Suits" by James Justin Wilson

With tobacco and asbestos settlements waning, trial lawyers are in search of their next buck.

"Legal threat bubbling beneath school soda contract" by Deborah Bach

The man who brought the threat of an anti-obesity lawsuit to the Seattle School Board works in a university office about 3,000 miles away, with a sign hanging outside the door that reads "Torts R Us."

"Prime Time Consumer Freedom" From the Center For Consumer Freedom

A 20/20 "Give Me A Break" segment on obesity lawsuits gave Banzhaf plenty of time to make his case -- but even veteran newswoman Barbara Walters concluded: "That sounds crazy ... whatever happened to self-control?"

"Soda Jerk," A Washington Times Editorial

John Banzhaf, a law professor at George Washington University with a reputation for suing the tobacco industry for billions of dollars, has threatened to sue the Seattle School Board for selling sodas from vending machines to middle and high school students. His reported intention is to fight obesity. But children's health matters are best left in the hands of their parents

"Senate bill bans obesity lawsuits" by Marguerite Higgins

Sen. Mitch McConnell, Kentucky Republican, today is set to introduce a bill that prohibits lawsuits in which the plaintiffs say food companies and restaurants have made them overweight or obese...

"Tort Law Tribulation" by Duane Parde of the American Legislative Exchange Council

Last summer, the theater of the absurd opened in New York. It was not on Broadway, but across town at the New York State Supreme Court in the Bronx. A 272-pound man named Caesar Barber sued four fast-food chains for causing his obesity. Later that year a similar spectacle played out in another New York courtroom, when two super-sized teenagers sued McDonald's

"Judicious Class Action Reform" by Bruce Fein

The science of government is the science of experiment. Decades of experimentation with class actions in state and federal courts have disclosed unanticipated abuses: forum shopping for local juries or judges hostile to foreign defendants and predisposed toward gold-plated verdicts; ill-founded class certifications that compel extortionate settlements from innocent defendants; bonanza fees for plaintiffs' attorneys for compromising the relief properly owed to individual class members

"Lies, Damn Lies, and ... More Damn Lies" by Center for Consumer Freedom

Professional ambulance chaser John Banzhaf is fond of making outrageous claims. They’re often false, but as we’ve said before, he has good reason to make them: His goal is to get every potential juror to think that there’s nothing at all strange about suing food companies because their customers eat too much.

"The First Thing We Do, Lets Kill All The Trial Lawyers" by David Martosk

“At the end of the day,� said Berman, “this is a PR stunt that is masquerading as serious litigation, and I don’t even know how John [Banzhaf] can do this with a straight face.�

"Lawyers See Fat Payoffs in Junk Food Lawsuits" by Michael Y. Park of FNC

Put down that pizza! Toss out that cookie dough! And banish those burgers and root beers. That is, unless you want to join the millions of Americans who are potential plaintiffs in an increasingly less hypothetical lawsuit that could change the way the U.S. eats.

"Study: obesity lawsuit not a diet aid" From UPI

A new report says fast food restaurants are not to blame for the increase in obesity among Americans.

"Legal Battleground: Girth Of A Nation" by Rinker Buck

The opponents of big class-action lawsuits that cost American corporations billions of dollars a year - among them several prominent policy-makers in the Bush administration - know that they don't have to look very far to find the Osama bin Laden of torts. He is George Washington University Law School Professor John F. Banzhaf.

"Obesity: Whose fault is it?" by Thomas Lee

Blamed for the millions of Americans who are overweight, the food industry is coming under attack in the courts and state legislatures. But perhaps most importantly, the industry fears a backlash in public opinion

"McConnell Plans Legislation To Limit Some Lawsuits Against Fast Food Industry" From the Associated Press

Senator Mitch McConnell said Monday he plans to introduce legislation backed by the fast food industry that would prevent people from suing restaurants and food manufacturers for consumers' expanding waist lines.

"Big food companies, big eaters square off in obesity lawsuits" by Hannah Lodwick

Thinking about suing Big Tobacco? Forget it. Food companies have the real money, and they could be the next litigation target.

"The Fat's in the Fryer: Obesity Lawsuits Impact Food Manufacturers" by The National Association of Convenience Stores

Consumer-advocacy group Center for Science in the Public Interest has called for increased taxes for food manufacturers to pay for public-health campaigns. The World Health Organization said that tightened regulation of food marketing is needed, particularly for ads directed at children

More coming soon!