Tobacco firm battling lawyer takes on drinks industry

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Tobacco firm battling lawyer takes on drinks industry

CALIFORNIA, US - The US attorney Steve Berman who was at the forefront of the fight for compensation from the big tobacco companies has now turned his attention to the drinks industry.

He is representing a Californian couple whose daughter was killed in a car accident involving an under-age drunken driver and they are bringing a suit against two of the world's largest brewers, Millers and Anheuser-Busch who produce Budweiser, claiming they target under-age drinkers.

Speaking from the States on BBC Radio Four's 'You and Yours', Mr Berman said he believed there was "very strong scientific evidence" to support their case.

"First the type of images that they use in their advertisements are appealing to young people, usually involving sex, good looks, fast cars, that type of thing.

"Second the placement of the ads - they're placed in either radio shows or TV shows or magazines where there is a high percentage of under-age readership, anywhere between 24 per cent-55per cent," he said.

"Basically these new products are soda pop type drinks that have alcohol content which everyone in the industry knows are starter drinks and the only people that drink these drinks according to their own studies are under-age drinkers."

"We're using a provision of California law which would require the companies, if we're successful, to disgorge or give up any profits they've earned in the State of California from the sale of liquor to under-age consumers which we estimate is about $4 billion during the period in question."

He added that during the battle with the tobacco companies, the "theory" that the companies were targeting teenagers had been "very warmly received by the courts" and that once the courts believed there was scientific support for the allegations, they had been allowed to access secret documents of the tobacco industry and he was hoping the same would happen again in this instance.

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