Fatty Foods, Big Fat Lawsuits

How sweet it is that U.S. District Judge Robert Sweet has tossed out the frivolous class-action lawsuit that blamed McDonald’s food for the obesity of its younger patrons (Jan. 23).

“If a person knows or should know that eating copious orders of super-sized McDonald’s products is unhealthy and may result in weight gain ... it is not the place of the law to protect them from their own excesses,” he said.

But wait! If it’s not the place of the law to protect us from our own excesses, then why do we have seat-belt laws and helmet laws to protect us from our own stupidity? The law is a strangely inconsistent thing.

Tom Higgins

Granada Hills

*

Thank heavens for common sense. The judge who dismissed the class-action lawsuit against McDonald’s because some people refuse to take responsibility for what they put in their mouths should be congratulated. It’s time more and more of these frivolous cases were thrown out. They not only clog a person’s arteries, they also clog our courts.

Now all we need is some kind of remedy against those who file these kinds of lawsuits. Let’s make people think twice before they and their money-hungry lawyers file lawsuits that make no sense, waste the courts’ time and cost everyone more money.

Julie Vallante

Pasadena

*

Re “Study Says Portions, Like Our Waistlines, Have Been Growing,” Jan. 22: Because the general public has become so accustomed to these overabundant entrees and waste-producing menus -- which have fostered the concomitant doggie bag take-home for the next day’s lunch (or sometimes dinner) -- it would be difficult, if not impossible, for the restaurateur to cut the portion size even if he instituted a small price reduction. Many spoiled customers, especially seniors, I think, would feel cheated.

Therefore, the solution that I and others would welcome is a two-tiered menu, with the smaller-portioned meal priced proportionally lower. This is certainly not a new or revolutionary idea. Some steakhouses and others already offer meat cuts listed by the number of ounces. A smaller portion of spaghetti, salad or whatever should not be difficult to effect. I think the restaurant community would be applauded if it could adopt this simple and reasonable way to help us curb waste while at the same time we improved our health and body measurements.

Eleanor Jackson

Palm Springs