ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, December 11, 1995 TAG: 9512120014
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: LONDON
SOURCE: DIRK BEVERIDG ASSOCIATED PRESS
Maybe you could call this McJustice?
As McDonald's Corp. proceeds with a libel trial that soon will set an English record for longevity, the topic of the moment is milkshakes - and how they were watered down by a McDonald's manager in Colchester.
``What is the effect of putting water in the shake mix?'' asks the high-powered McDonald's lawyer, Richard Rampton. ``First of all, does it make it runny?''
``Obviously, it dilutes it, yes,'' said Raymond Coton, a former McDonald's manager being cross-examined by McDonald's after a day of testimony on behalf of two unemployed environmentalists who have been portraying the fast-food chain as an exploiting menace to society.
Coton already had said that he used coffee grounds twice, scheduled workers younger than 18 to work illegal hours and tampered with employees' time sheets - all to increase profits for the world's biggest hamburger company.
Rampton accused Coton of being a poor manager who cut corners to meet his performance targets.
On the bench, Justice Roger Bell is trying to make sense of it all. Bell, who has listened patiently since the trial began June 28, 1994, says one side is obviously not telling the truth.
``How can shakes become too thick?'' the judge asks.
The answer: lots of ways.
So it goes in the ``McLibel'' trial, which could earn McDonald's a distinctly unwelcome second listing in the Guinness Book of Records, as the case becomes the longest civil trial ever heard in England and Wales. McDonald's already is listed in the record book as the world's largest restaurant chain.
McDonald's is suing the environmental activists, Dave Morris and Helen Steel, alleging they defamed the corporation by handing out a pamphlet filled with lies and titled ``What's wrong with McDonald's? Everything they don't want you to know.''
Morris and Steel say it is up to McDonald's to prove that they distributed the leaflets, which depict a grinning Ronald McDonald as a mask concealing the face of a cigar-chomping capitalist.
But the activists say the pamphlet, which accuses McDonald's of harming the environment, promoting unhealthy diets and exploiting cheap labor, is all true. They are countersuing McDonald's and representing themselves, appearing daily in casual clothes that contrast with the robes and wigs worn by the judge and two of the McDonald's lawyers.
The ``McLibel'' case has now plodded along for 198 court days and will set the record on the 199th day, scheduled for today.
For months, McDonald's has been peppered with publicity such as newspaper headlines proclaiming ``McRipoff,'' and horror stories from former employees who testified about kitchen floors flooded with sewage.
This may seem a disastrous payback for the untold fortune McDonald's has spent on the case - Rampton's fees alone reportedly equal more than $3,000 per day - but the company expresses confidence it will be vindicated when the judge finally rules.
``We are there to protect our reputation,'' said McDonald's spokesman Mike Love, who was an aide to former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
If McDonald's wins, it has no chance of recovering damages from welfare recipients Morris, a 41-year-old former postal worker, and Steel, a 30-year-old former gardener.
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