Lawsuit Filed Against McDonald's Over French Fries

[Keggy]

Oct 9, 2006 1:13 pm US/Pacific

Lawsuit Filed Against McDonald's Over French Fries
(CBS) LOS ANGELES A lawsuit filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on behalf of an autistic boy alleges that additives in McDonald's french fries aggravated his symptoms and caused him digestive problems.

The lawsuit, which alleges fraud, false advertising and negligent misrepresentation by the McDonald's Corp. and McDonald's Restaurants of California, seeks restitution of $15,000 for Roman Brown's medical expenses, along with a share of profits made by the company for the alleged misrepresentation and unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

The plaintiffs also are asking for certification of the lawsuit as a class-action on behalf of other autistic children who they allege may have been similarly harmed.

The lawsuit was filed Friday in Los Angeles Superior Court by Richard W. Brown, who was identified as the boy's guardian. The court papers do not state the relationship between the guardian and the child, nor specify the child's age.

According to the lawsuit, up until Feb. 13, McDonald's advertised and made official statements that its fries were safe to eat and did not contain gluten or casein.

"In most cases, elimination of gluten and casein from an autistic child's (diet) results in dramatic improvements in the child's condition, often enabling the child to attend mainstream educational programs in a matter of months," the lawsuit states.

After eating fries at a McDonald's restaurant at 27776 McBean Parkway in Valencia, the boy's autism symptoms of aggression and tantrums increased, while his ability to communicate and take care of himself diminished, according to the lawsuit.


(© 2006 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

[Mother's Heart]

you know, we had an allergy specialist who had my son on a special diet protocol (not GFCF) which was to be VERY VERY limited for 3 days every second month and Very limited for 3 weeks around that 3 days. She told us and told us that the mc'd's fries were okay for him to have. I finally got statement from the company about the type of oil they were preparing them in and showed them to her to prove to her he was allergic. They had told her otherwise.

[LIZARD]

Everything I have ever read about GF/CF takes issue with this statement about dramatic improvement. I have read and heard that some kids experience significant improvement, but many others see negligible results. I doubt they'll win, but McD's may settle with them.


LIZARD :)

[Lara]

That's interesting. Not all that long before the big crash (the latest one) there was a very long thread in Gluten Sensitivity / Celiac Disease forum about the oils that were being used or re-used. I wish we still had all that info.. Someone else might remember that thread.

What I can never understand in these circumstances, is why continue to eat the stuff if it makes you feel sick? :confused:

[JungleWoman]

"In most cases, elimination of gluten and casein from an autistic child's (diet) results in dramatic improvements in the child's condition, often enabling the child to attend mainstream educational programs in a matter of months," the lawsuit states.

WTFrack???

We did it for 6 months and saw zero improvement! This diet is kind of hit and miss with our kids and i agree with what lizard said about it going against what she's read on gf/cf.