House OKs "Cheeseburger" Bill Barring Lawsuits

(From Reuters -- By Joanne Kenen)

THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES on Wednesday easily passed the so-called "Cheeseburger Bill" that would block lawsuits blaming the food industry for making people fat.
[No more dough from those lawsuits, Beers. That's MONEY, not actual dough.]

THE PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY IN FOOD CONSUMPTION ACT passed on a bipartisan 306 to 120 vote.

THE HOUSE approved a similar bill last year but it died in the SENATE.

No SENATE action is scheduled on companion legislation.

Leading business groups and THE WHITE HOUSE back the bill.

THE WHITE HOUSE in a statement said, "Food manufacturers, marketers, distributors, advertisers and sellers should not be held liable for injury because a person's consumption of legal, unadulterated food is associated with the person's weight gain or obesity."

The bill would block in state and federal courts what backers consider "frivolous lawsuits against the manufacturers, distributors or sellers of food or nonalcoholic
beverage products" arising from obesity claims. It would not block civil lawsuits stemming from tainted food.
[Here, we come FLIK.]

The bill comes amid growing awareness of the public health implications of the U.S. obesity problem. But supporters of the bill said obesity and overeating should be dealt with by doctors, exercise routines and personal responsibility, not by lawyers and courts.

Democratic critics said the bill was unnecessary, that courts were throwing out such lawsuits and state legislatures were drawing up their own rules to prevent cases.

The best-known case, filed by several teenagers against McDONALD'S CORPORATION, was thrown out of federal court. Part of the case was later reinstated.

Scott O'Leary, thanks for the post.

[FLIK is now lobbying for a similar bill to protect them from people who claim cafeteria food makes them sick, that is, when they actually serve food.]