NEWS
Doyle vetoes legislation to prevent suits against restaurants, fast-food chains
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by Rachel Jonas
Wednesday, March 24, 2004
Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed legislation March 17 that would have prevented state residents from suing restaurants and food companies for causing obesity.
<p>”This bill provides, with certain exceptions, a civil liability exemption for the food industry from lawsuits relating to a person’s weight gain, obesity or weight-related health conditions as the result of food consumption,” Doyle said in his veto message.
<p>Since only a few reported lawsuits have been filed nationally, and none in Wisconsin, Doyle said, “This legislation is a solution in search of a problem and is not needed.”
<p>However, Rep. Dan Vrakas, R – Delafield, disagrees, claiming obesity lawsuits will not solve the problem of overweight Americans.
<p>”By vetoing this legislation, the governor is choosing to side with those who believe it’s OK to blame others rather than take responsibility for their own actions. This legislation is a common-sense measure to protect restaurants, food distributors and manufacturers from lawsuits that could threaten their livelihood,” Vrakas said in a release.
<p>Speaker John Gard, R-Peshtigo, also opposes Doyle’s veto and defends the bill as holding people responsible for their own actions and not placing blame on restaurants, according to Steve Baas, Gard’s press secretary.
<p>”It is your responsibility what you put in your mouth, and you can’t bring lawsuits against a restaurant or a food distributor saying it is their fault that you are fat,” Baas said.
<p>Lisa Howard, a corporate communications director for McDonald’s, thinks the issue is not about any particular restaurant or food; rather, it is about personal responsibility and individual decisions.
<p>”Lawsuits targeting individual companies do a disservice to those who are looking for real solutions,” she said in a release.
<p>However, in his veto message Doyle maintains that, “Providing the food industry with an exemption from a remote chance of liability does not fit the norm and does not further any pressing societal need.”
<p>Obesity remains a major, growing concern in Wisconsin. In 2001, 58.2 percent of adults were either overweight or obese and the trend in obesity rates continues to grow as rates have doubled in Wisconsin in the past decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
<p>In response to the problem of obesity in Wisconsin, Doyle plans to launch a “Get Active Wisconsin” campaign to promote a more active lifestyle for Wisconsin residents by challenging them to a six-week program available by registering at <i>www.wisconsinchallenge.org</i>.
<p>”While this challenge is not focused on weight loss, it is about motivating everyone in Wisconsin to get active. Good nutrition, balanced lifestyle choices and regular exercise are all components of being healthy,” Doyle said in a release.
<p>Although Baas applauds efforts to encourage people to be more active and supports Doyle’s challenge efforts, he does not think the government will be very effective at convincing people to lead healthier lives.
<p>Baas predicts the issue will be raised again in the spring due to lingering legislative concerns about the governor’s veto. For his part, Doyle said he stands by his veto.
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