BPI claims ABC, a unit of Walt Disney Co, and its reporter Jim Avila defamed the company by using the term “pink slime” and making errors and omissions in its 2012 reporting. But ABC lawyer Dane Butswinkas said “pink slime” was a common term, used more than 3,800 times in the media prior to ABC’s reports. ABC denies any wrongdoing and is confident its reporting will be “fully vindicated,” a lawyer for ABC and Avila, Kevin Baine of Williams & Connolly, has said. Lawyers for BPI have declined to say if they plan to focus on “fake news” as a tactic at trial. He said BPI lobbied for years to get its LFTB added to ground beef without labels indicating it was there.

Source: National Post June 06, 2017 17:48 UTC