Overweight teens file fat lawsuit against McDonald's
 

NEW YORK -- Two teenagers with big midsections have an even bigger beef with McDonald's.

Their parents, on behalf of the youths, have filed a class-action lawsuit against the fast-food giant saying the chain's unhealthy meals made them obese, which caused them to develop severe health problems including heart disease.

John Banzhaf, a George Washington University law professor who pioneered lawsuits against tobacco firms, is acting as an adviser on the case.

He said children often are unable to resist the chain's playgrounds, Happy Meals, and toy promotions often tied to the release of popular movies.

"Children clearly are not capable of making health-related decisions," he said. "McDonald's tries to attract children and has an obligation to them."

Attorney Samuel Hirsch filed the suit in the New York Supreme Court in the Bronx in late August.

The suit comes just weeks after he filed another suit against McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, and Wendy's on behalf of a 270-pound New York City maintenance worker.

That worker, Caesar Barber, 56, said he developed diabetes and suffered two heart attacks after eating the greasy fare from the fast-food restaurants four or five times a week for decades.

Banzhaf said that while Barber's suit is still snaking its way through the court system, Hirsch has decided to focus more on the suit involving children, since children can't be expected to be personally responsible for their health.

Hirsch did not respond to repeated phone calls.

The suit filed on behalf of the two teenagers claims that McDonald's contributed to their poor health and obesity by enticing them to consume larger portions through the use of "value meal" advertisements without disclosing the health effects.

The youths are asking that a jury decide how much they should be compensated for the harm they have suffered. They also want the court to order McDonald's to do more to publicize the dietary content of their products, including an educational program on the dangers of eating certain items.

Although the age of the youths has not been released, Hirsch's office said one is about 5 feet 9 inches tall and weighs 270 pounds, while the other is 5 feet 3 inches and weighs 200 pounds.

Apparently the two have been eating at McDonald's several times a week for years.

Walt Riker, a spokesman for McDonald's, said such suits have no merit.

He said the chain serves the same kinds of quality food -- beef, milk, chicken, lettuce, potatoes -- that families eat in their homes every day.

"McDonald's is a full-menu restaurant providing variety and choices," Riker said.

He said the chain makes comprehensive nutrition information available on the company's Web site, www.mcdonalds.com, and that children are becoming overweight due to an increasingly sedentary lifestyle.

The suits have resulted in a supersize round of mockery from some consumer and industry groups.

"The notion that there's no parental authority over these children is ridiculous," said Mike Burita, a spokesman for the Center for Consumer Freedom, an organization representing restaurant operators and individuals who want to preserve consumer choice. "Do little kids steal their parent's car keys and drive themselves to McDonald's?"

He said the suits have more to do with fattening attorney wallets than with thinning consumers.

Experts say the fast-food suits are a natural outgrowth of tobacco litigation, and that courtrooms can expect to see more of them in the future.

Walter Olson, a Manhattan Institute fellow specializing in legal-system issues, said it was clear that the suit was trying to cash in on the publicity over the tobacco settlements as well as reports showing rising obesity among children.

"These suits would have you believe that these kids have been robotically going to fast-food restaurants every day and that there's no one around to stop them," he said, adding that "most people should know that eating a Big Mac is different than eating lettuce."

Although Banzhaf agrees that fast food isn't inherently addictive like tobacco, he said McDonald's must provide clear health warnings just as cigarette makers do.

Banzhaf said the suits are grounded in a report released by the U.S. surgeon general last December that said obesity kills an estimated 300,000 Americans each year and costs $117 billion in health-related costs. There are nearly twice as many overweight children and almost three times as many overweight adolescents as there were in 1980.

"Even at Disneyland you find signs everywhere saying that kids have to be a certain height to get on certain rides," he said. "This should be obvious, but Disneyland doesn't want to be held liable if a parent isn't smart enough to know this."

I hate people that sue for stupid shit like this. Nobody MADE them walk into McDonald's. They could have just as easily walked into a supermarket and purchased something nutritious!!! :mad:

I hate people that bitch about being overweight!!! Stop eating fastfood and quit drinking pop. That will solve half of the problem right there! Take some f*cking responsiblity for your own actions. Don't blame your problems on somebody else!

Re: Overweight teens file fat lawsuit against McDonald's
 

This is why children have parents. Adult are supposed to teach their children about nutrition on healthy eating habits. What we have here is a gross lack of parental responsibility. And for them to sue a restaurant chain for what was essentially their failure...:mad:

This country is filled with greedy people who are out to make a quick buck on a frivolous lawsuit. It's ridiculous. :mad:

I wish judges would just throw the cases out of court and rule that the plaintiffs pay for the defendants' legal fees. That would nip some of it in the bud pretty quickly. :D

another junk lawsuit to make a quick buck :rolleyes:

not to sound mean or anything, but did they think eating mcd's would actually be healthy because it had lettuce & tomato in the greasy hamburger?!

No, children are not capable of making health-related decisions, but if they are children, their PARENTS probably make a quick pass through the drive-thru for them or even provides the funds for the fast food since children obviously can't have jobs.

And sure, Mcdonald's tries to attract children with playgrounds and happy meals. It's called "MARKETING" everyone does it. It's not like McDonald's is hypotizing the kids to tell them to eat 5 Big Macs everyday.

I think that lawyer is just trying to get his name out. :rolleyes: I hope these cases are thrown out the window. What a waste of time and taxpayer money.

I agree with everyone who is blasting the parents -- why don't the kids sue THEM for doing such a crappy job and letting their kids eat at McDonald's all the time?

Also, as an attorney, I have to admit that I am ashamed of my profession when lawsuits like this get filed. I'm not blaming the attorney totally, because there must be a client to have a case and the client is the one behind it, but I would never in a million years represent a client in such a stupid case.

I'd love to hear what these people who are sueing sound like. Seriously, when you are watching TV news and people are getting so deeply indignant oversomething.....they seem to lose their mastery of the English language. It's so embarassing. You don't want to call them white trash....but it's on the tip of your tongue.

On another note.....have McD's unveiled their new "healthy" fries yet? I bought some this past weekend and didn't notice much of a difference.

I just hope this case gets thrown out by a judge, and the lawyer had his fat clients get made out to look like the greedy retarded scum of our society that they are.
Have a fucking carrot bitch!

When it comes to Tobacco and McDonalds there's an important distinction between the addictions. Tobacco intentionally has an ingredient to make you want to smoke more. McDonalds you can do without for a lifetime. I don't think the oil from chicken nuggets inclines you to take another hit of that good ish.

Man even I knew when I was a little kid that too much fast food was unhealthy. It just shows you how fat our country is getting.

Since I started working out this past summer I forgot how fun it was to do sports. During my frosh year of college I was addicted to staying in my dorm and playing Counterstrike on the computer. Now I can't wait to get back to school so that I can work out again.

Re: Overweight teens file fat lawsuit against McDonald's
 

Oh I'm sorry~ I did not realize that children were paying for their happy meals...I thought it was at a parent's discretion as to whether or not a child should eat what they do.

LMAO! :D

OK, reading this thread made me hungry for a Wendy's spicy chicken combo at lunch. I'm suing John Hammell's ass for running such an ennabling website. :D

Wasn't it Dr. Phil that said " 2 words - STEERING WHEEL!"!

Kids don't drive and lots of McD's and other fast food places are in a congested commercial area!

Okay, that being said, I only go to McD's for the fries and Coca Cola..the hamburger comes with it, lol. ;)

whatEVER
 

LMAO!! That's awesome.

But seriously, I can't believe people actually think they'll get away with suing fast food places.

PLUS, if they're smart they just go for healthier stuff at the restaraunts. It's not like a greasy burger is your only option. Burger King has a decent menu of healthy stuff -- salads, baked potatoes, even their chicken strips -- and lots of it is inexpensive, too.

I think this is the silliest lawsuit I've heard of in awhile. I mean, of course McDonald's markets to kids... they are a business and they want to make money so they advertise. It is up to people to use their intelligence and rationale to decide whether or not to succumb to advertising and how often. I really feel sorry for these kids that their parents never taught them that.

By the way, when at fast food restaurants beware of the "healthy" stuff too! It's usually not so healthy, as the salads have cheese, dressing and croutons and the chicken sandwiches have mayo... yikes!