A VICTORY FOR BIG MACS….On Wednesday a judge tossed out the suit against McDonald’s that claimed their food caused obesity. Here’s what the Center for Individual Freedom had to say:
Returning some common sense to our runaway tort system, the judge explained that his decision was ?guided by the principle that legal consequences should not attach to the consumption of hamburgers and other fast food fare unless consumers are unaware of the dangers of eating such food.?
Actually, this is what happens to virtually all groundless suits: they get tossed out. The judge in this case was not “returning” common sense to our tort system, he was just doing what judges do every day.
I wonder: is there any area of public policy with more urban legends than tort reform? If I had a nickel for every story of a multi-jillion judgment awarded for patently outlandish behavior, I’d be a millionaire. And if I had a nickel for every one that turned out to be true, I probably couldn’t buy a cup of coffee.
