title: The McLawsuit: the fast-food industry and legal accountability for obesity.
abstract: Recent litigation brought by a group of overweight children against the McDonald's Corporation that seeks compensation for obesity-related health problems has provoked an intense public response. Many have derided this lawsuit as representing the worst excesses of the tort liability system, while others have drawn parallels to tobacco litigation. Fast-food litigation raises the question of where accountability for the economic and public health consequences of obesity properly rests. In this paper we consider the reasonableness of the claims against fast-food companies and discuss several social effects that the litigation may have irrespective of its outcome in court.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, USA.
authors.forename: Michelle M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Mello
authors.forename: Eric B
authors.initials: EB
authors.lastname: Rimm
authors.forename: David M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Studdert
mesh_terms: D015984:Causality; D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D019649:Food Industry / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000592:standards; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D009519:New York City; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D012147:Restaurants / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012922:Social Change; D012941:Social Responsibility; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats