McLibel: Burger Culture on Trial

It all began with a pamphlet entitled "What's Wrong with McDonald's?" that led to the longest trial in British history. The trial was a David vs. Goliath - five members of London Greenpeace against McDonalds. Accused by McDonalds of libel, two activists held their ground and proceeded with the trial. The activists believed that McDonalds exploited children, depressed wages, leveled South and Central American rain forests and subjected its cattle and chicken to mass slaughters.Without benefit of a lawyer or funds from legal aid, Helen Steel and Dave Morris acted as their own attorneys in facing McDonalds' legal teams. British libel law required that Steel and Morris prove the accuracy of virtually every statement made in the flyer. Unfortunately, the judge found that Helen and Dave had not proved the allegations against McDonald's. But they had shown that McDonald's does exploit children with their advertising, falsely advertised their food as nutritious and are culpably responsible for cruelty to animals reared for their products. In the end, the two were ordered to pay but McDonald's dropped the claim and left with a very tarnished image.

McLibel is an account of the longest trial in British legal history - McDonald's Restaurants v Morris & Steel. The story is in every way a David and Goliath story - two penniless lay people are pitted against the Dean of British libel lawyers backed by the limitless coffers of a major international company. Despite the overwhelming odds against them, both in terms of legal talent and legal obstacles, the defendants do a creditable job of holding their own.This book offers an interesting British counterpoint to Harr's A Civil Action. Both books describe major legal struggles between the Haves and the Have-nots and in both cases the outcome represents less than a clear victory for either side. McLibel also offers an interesting critique of British libel law, the limitations on free speech in Britain, "ownership" of the law, manipulation of the legal system by the powerful, and the role of the judge.It also offers Big Business a salutary lesson - not every apprent pushover is going to play dead the moment litigation is threatened. When it comes to counting the most costly legal mistakes ever, this case must rank somewhere near the top of the list. The case turned into a legal quagmire that McDonalds found it impossible to extricate itself from. Whatever consolation the company may have found in the verdict, this was a pyrrhic victory and an undoubted public relations disaster.

An important book regarding the power of corporations, and the abuse of the environment. We Americans are fortunate that we do not have England's libel laws where corporations like McDonalds do not hesitate to use the law to squelch free speech. This is a fascinating book that follows the longest civil trial in British history. The author is able to summarize the trial without getting bogged down in the mass of testimony that was presented. The book's downside is that the author makes lengthy asides to preach on environmental issues. I share his concerns, but I bought the book to read about the specific issue of the trial itself.