ABC News was hit with a $1.2 billion defamation lawsuit on
Thursday by a South Dakota meat processor
that accused it of misleading viewers into believing that a product
that critics have dubbed "pink slime"
was unsafe, according to a Reuters story.
Beef Products Inc sued over ABC reports aired in March and April
about the company and its "lean finely textured beef."
In court papers, the company said ABC falsely told viewers that
the beef product was not safe, not healthy, and not even meat, an d that the
reports have cost it much of its business and hundreds of millions of dollars
in profit.
"The lawsuit is without merit," Jeffrey Schneider,
senior vice president of ABC News, a unit of Walt Disney Co, said in a
statement. "We will contest it vigorously."
Six individuals were also sued, including ABC News anchor Diane
Sawyer, and the reporters Jim Avila and David Kerley.
Another defendant is Gerald Zirnstein, a former U.S. Department
of Agriculture microbiologist credited with coining the term "pink
slime," and who appeared in ABC's reports. He could not be immediately
reached for comment.
No comments:
Post a Comment