Overweight children are taking McDonald's to court
Overweight children are taking McDonald's to court in New York.
They claimed they did not know a burgers and chips diet would make them fat.
Lawyer Samuel Hirsch, acting on behalf of eight children and their parents, says McDonald's created a national epidemic of fat children and violated consumer fraud laws by failing to adequately disclose the health effects of its menu.
It is the first case in the US to be heard by a judge where customers of a hamburger chain are suing because they say the food made them obese and unhealthy.
In a separate case a group of overweight Americans is suing four fast-food companies accusing them of knowingly serving meals that cause obesity and disease.
The children include 5ft 6ins Gregory Rhymes, 15, who weighs more than 28 stone and has diabetes after eating McDonald's nearly every day since he was six.
"I normally order the Big Mac, fries, ice cream or shake - I like to super-size my orders," he said.
His mother, Ruth Rhymes, claims she would not have let her son gorge himself on Big Macs if she knew they contained high levels of fat and salt.
McDonald's lawyer Brad Lerman told the court: "People don't go to sleep thin and wake up obese. The understanding and comprehension of what hamburgers and french fries do has been with us for a long, long time."
Story filed: 10:03 Thursday 21st November 2002
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ananova 11/21/2002Categories: Clean, Children, Silly, True Stories