Day 053 - 22 Nov 94 - Page 12
1 application to amend in the draft amendment.
2
3 MS. STEEL: A lot of the interpretation that Mr. Rampton was
4 putting on our questioning yesterday I would reject, in
5 terms of the witness may have said "caused this" and
6 "caused that", but we thought that they were being evasive
7 by trying to avoid saying that there was any link by
8 saying, "There is no cause." I can explain this in more
9 detail.
10
11 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes. You carry on.
12
13 MR. MORRIS: This proposed amendment is clearly an extension in
14 two ways, cause and the meals: from "linked with"
15 to "cause", which is shifting the goal posts upwards, if
16 you like; and "contents of the meal" and "sell meals",
17 which is again shifting it upwards. That is, it is quite
18 clear to us, the reason they are making that amendment.
19 Otherwise, why change it to "sell meals"? Why not just
20 say, "The contents of an average McDonald's meal are
21 causally linked with cancer of the breast and bowel"? By
22 adding "in their customers", they are again shifting the
23 ground upwards in their favour.
24
25 So, if this had been pleaded, not only is it changing the
26 case and changing the case at a late stage, but if it had
27 been originally in the Statement of Claim, it is quite
28 possible we would have argued that this should have been
29 struck out, because the words are not capable of any
30 reasonable-minded person in this country reading the
31 well-argued fact sheet on that section as meaning
32 "McDonald's sell meals which cause cancer in their
33 customers" -- completely ludicrous and impossible.
34
35 If there is a midway position (which we do not accept), our
36 position is that it is very, very clear on the links
37 between diet and disease, and that McDonald's have a
38 responsibility because they promote that kind of diet and
39 they sell that kind of food.
40
41 In the paragraph above that particular sentence, it says:
42 "McDonald's show that mass-produced hamburgers", not "show
43 that their mass-produced, hamburgers, chips, colas". It is
44 talking about "mass-produced hamburgers, chips, colas and
45 milkshakes are a useful nutritious part of any diet". So
46 they are talking about -- even McDonald's food, when the
47 leaflet does mention McDonald's food, it is as an example
48 of that kind of food.
49
50 To us, it is absolutely crystal clear, and it would be
51 crystal clear to everybody until fairly recently in the
52 history of this case, what that is saying.
53
54 MR. JUSTICE BELL: What is it saying? What is it saying that is
55 crystal clear?
56
57 MR. MORRIS: It is crystal clear that it is talking about diet
58 linked to disease. We do not contend -----
59
60 MR. JUSTICE BELL: What does "linked" mean there?
