Emerging Issues in the U.S. Samuel B. Sebree

The Tobacco Template “Iron Triangle”
Plaintiff’s lawyers
File litigation;
Discovery documents;
Identify whistleblowers;
Public Officials
File litigation;
Begin investigations;
Use media contacts to publicize themes
Media
Publicize “leaked” documents;
Favorable articles on “health” champions

Goal
Blame a multi-factorial health problem on a single industry
Demonize industry
Isolate the industry
Publicize the demonization – social media, conventional media
Taint the industry’s image in the minds of legislators, politicians, regulators, the public

Key Themes
Youth Marketing
Addiction 4<br>

The Template in Action: Plaintiff’s Counsel 5 2012
Strom, “Lawyers from Big Tobacco Target the Food Industry”
Hicks, “Big Tobacco and Big Food: The Analogy Continues”
Laskawy, “Lawyers Go After Processed Food Industry with Tactics That Worked in Big Tobacco”
Levick, “Tobacco Lawyers Set Their Sights on the Grocery Store”
“The Lawyers who took on Big Tobacco decided the time was ripe to go after “Big Food”<br>

The Template in Action: Plaintiff’s Counsel 40+ federal consumer class actions in 2012
Typical claim: Misbranded food products
Products labeled “0 grams trans fat” contain fat
Products labeled “100% natural” contain chemical preservatives, synthetic chemicals, artificial colors, other artificial ingredients
Causes of Action
Unfair/unlawful business practices
Misleading/deceptive/fraudulent business practices

Key initial hurdle: Surviving motion to dismiss
May open door to document discovery
Claims will evolve as documents come out 6<br>

The Template in Action: Public Officials 7<br>

The Media<br>

Key Themes: Obesity & Addiction February 2013: PubMed lists 1300+ studies addressing alleged “food addiction” or “science.”
Almost 500 studies relate to obesity and addiction.
Processed foods and sugary drinks “can hijack the brain in ways that resemble addictions to cocaine, nicotine and other drugs.”
Langreth and Stanford ,“Fatty Foods Addictive as Cocaine in Growing Body of Science” (2011)
“The data is so overwhelming the field has to accept it. We are finding tremendous overlap between drugs in the brain and food in the brain.” - Dr. Nora Volkow 9<br>

Obesity “Food is obviously different from tobacco, and the food industry differs from tobacco companies in important ways, but there also are significant similarities in the actions that the industries have taken in response to concern that their products cause harm.”
- Brownell, “The Perils of Ignoring History” (2009). 10<br>

Obesity Dimensions: WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control now has 168 signatory countries.
WHO now addressing obesity issue, noting that billions are malnourished, while more are overweight or obese.
2008-2013 Global Strategy Action Plan (WHO) urges
Reducing salt levels
Eliminating industrially produced trans-fatty acids
Decreasing saturated fats
Limiting free sugars
Promoting the responsible marketing of foods and non-alcoholic beverages to children to reduce the impact of foods high in saturated fats, trans-fatty acids, free sugars, or salt.
Global Framework Convention on Obesity? 11<br>

Obesity, Addiction & “Youth Marketing” “Targeting kids is the food industry’s Achilles heel.”
-Plaintiffs’ lawyer John Coale, Fortune (2003).

“Obesity is now the second most prevalent “actual cause of death” behind tobacco. In a future unfairness action involving food marketing to children the substantial injury element would be that such marketing triggers purchases of unhealthy foods and beverages associated with obesity and overweight that would not otherwise be made. There is evidence that food marketing is a significant contribution to obesity. . . . Food marketing cannot be reasonably avoided by children.”
- Wiking & Gohlieb, “Major Findings From 50 State Survey of State Consumer Protection Law to Limit Junk Food Marketing to Children,” (2012). 12<br>

Attacks On Industry Involvement in Food Science or Research “Big Sugar” allegedly conducted a “decades long effort to stack the scientific deck” regarding the health effects of sugar. Mother Jones 2012
Food industry had allegedly paid for seating at “the health policy table.” Reuters October 2012
“Is the Junk Food Industry Buying the WHO?” Mother Jones November 2012
“Big Food” and “Big Soda” manufacturers of alleged unhealthy commodities “rule the global food system” PLOS Medicine Series 2102 13<br>

Coming Soon? Leak of “secret” documents?

Industry whistleblowers?

Politicians as plaintiffs? 14<br>

Alien Tort Statute Provides federal court jurisdiction to claims:
By an alien
for damages from tort
Committed in violation of:
Law of nations
U.S. treaty
Adopted in 1789
Provided a basis for jurisdiction in 2 cases from 1789-1980
Since 1980, scope of recognized claims has grown considerably
Applied to private actors if:
Action is done “under color of law”
Violates a definite norm of universal concern 15<br>

Products Cases Abdullahi v. Pfizer & Adamu v. Pfizer
Claims: Pfizer volated norm against “nonconsensual medical experimentation
Involved approval and facilities of the Nigerian government
Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum
Supreme Court to address whether ATS applies to conduct occurring outside the U.S. and perhaps whether it applies to corporations 16<br>