Day 081 - 31 Jan 95 - Page 32


     
     1
     2   MS. STEEL:  So it was all in relation to food poisoning
     3        incidents or hygiene?
     4        A.  I think it was in relation to food hygiene but I was
     5        not involved myself.
     6
     7   Q.   Is that all within the last few years or does this go back
     8        further than that?
     9        A.  No, just within the last few years.
    10
    11   Q.   Presumably, that was a commercial ---
    12        A.  Yes.
    13
    14   Q.   -- relationship?
    15
    16   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  You are paid a fee?
    17        A.  Yes, sir.
    18
    19   Q.    Now you are a professor, do you have to pay all your fees
    20        into the department?
    21        A.  Not all of them, sir.  I manage to keep a small amount
    22        for myself.
    23
    24   Q.   It can be a disadvantage of being a professor in some
    25        positions that those professional expert witness fees which
    26        you could retain have to go to your department rather than
    27        into your own pocket?
    28        A.  Yes, sir we are not nowadays given enough money to run
    29        our department.  We have to earn extra money from
    30        consultancy and other work.
    31
    32   MR. MORRIS:  George Rummel of McDonald's Corporation (who is a
    33        witness for McDonald's) states in his statement:  "In 1982
    34        approximately 47 people, mostly from Michigan and Oregon,
    35        not all of whom had eaten at McDonald's, were found to be
    36        infected with a previously unknown strain of E.coli.  The
    37        Centre for Disease Control performed a statistical analysis
    38        of the outbreak and concluded that its research inferred a
    39        numerical correlation between the outbreak and McDonald's.
    40        McDonald's paid the medical bills and related claims of
    41        these individuals as a means of settling the matter to
    42        everyone's satisfaction.  There was never an admission of
    43        liability on McDonald's part."   They have admitted
    44        liability for the Preston outbreak and we have the report
    45        of the Centre for Disease Control on the US E.coli
    46        outbreak.
    47
    48        Is there a reason why E.coli seems to have become an issue
    49        in America before -----
    50 
    51   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Just pause.  Perhaps you had better ask him 
    52        if he knows whether it is first; he may answer "yes" and 
    53        then ask him a question.
    54
    55   MR. MORRIS:  Do you know if E.coli became an issue in America
    56        before it became an issue in the UK?
    57        A.  I believe it did, yes.
    58
    59   Q.   Do you know why that should be the case?
    60        A.  No.  These things happen that way.  You might well ask

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