What celebrity sued the beef industry?

In December 1997 Oprah Winfrey, the American talk show host, and Howard Lyman, a former cattle rancher and then director of the Humane Society’s Eating with a Conscience Campaign, were sued in federal district court in Texas on a charge of disparaging beef.

What did Howard Lyman say on Oprah?

Lyman ended up on an Oprah show entitled “Dangerous Food: Could it happen here?” in which the famous host uttered the infamous words: “That just stops me cold; I’ll never eat another burger.” “Oprah did not say to the crowd: ‘Boy, I hope you never eat another burger. ‘ She did not say, ‘I think the meat is infected.

What did Oprah Winfrey say about the beef industry?

The beef interview Howard Lyman, a vegetarian and animal rights activist, predicted on the show that the disease would eventually plague the U.S. beef industry. Winfrey declared that the discussion “has just stopped me cold from eating another burger. I’m stopped.”

Did Oprah win the beef lawsuit?

Talk show host Oprah Winfrey celebrates what she called a victory for free speech in the jury verdict against Texan cattlemen who claimed that her show on mad cow disease defamed the beef industry.

Is defaming beef illegal in Texas?

But on the West Texas cattle range, seldom is heard a disparaging word about beef. But apparently no one told Oprah Winfrey about a Lone Star State law that prohibits bad-mouthing beef, forbids slandering citrus, and penalizes critics of corn.

What set of laws got Oprah in trouble for saying because of the mad cow disease she couldn’t eat another burger?

Twenty years ago, images of staggering cattle and descriptions of brains resembling Swiss cheese became associated with one of the most popular television programs of the day when Texas Panhandle cattlemen sued “The Oprah Winfrey Show” for defamation under Texas’ “veggie libel law.” They claimed the program’s negative …

Why did the meat industry sue Oprah?

Tensions between Oprah and the cattle industry came to a head in December 1997, when a group of executives filed a lawsuit against the talk show host, blaming her for millions in lost business as a result of statements about beef they believed were false and defamatory.

What did Oprah say about mad cow?

A federal lawsuit filed in 1997 pitted Texas Cattle Producers against talk show queen Oprah Winfrey. At issue, remarks Oprah made about ‘Mad Cow’ Disease during one of her shows that sent cattle prices plummeting. The cattle feeders who filed suit say the remarks were slanderous.

Is defaming beef illegal?

These laws vary significantly from state to state, but food libel laws typically allow a food manufacturer or processor to sue a person or group who makes disparaging comments about their food products.