Central California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CCCALA) is applauding the recent decision to drop the lawsuit seeking to ban the sale of Oreo cookies, but condemns the use of the judicial system as stage for a publicity stunt.

“Keep your cookies out of court,” said Diann Rogers, executive director of Central California Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CCCALA).“Our courts’ resources should not be used to fatten a lawyer’s reputation or tell America to lose their sweet tooth. This is yet another example of the type of frivolous lawsuits clogging our courts.”

The case in question sought to ban Oreo sales in California, arguing that trans fats contained in the cookies are unhealthy and most Americans are not aware of their dangers. The lawyer who filed the lawsuit claimed he dropped it when he saw that widespread publicity across the nation had raised the issue in the public’s mind. In so doing, he all but admitted that this was not a legitimate case, but a publicity stunt.

“With a civil justice system that already costs every American $721 a year – at a total of $205 billion annually – the last thing we need is to increase costs by using the courts as a PR prop,” commented Rogers.

While America’s expanding waistline is certainly a public health concern, the solution does not lie in the civil justice system. The answer to America’s obesity epidemic is for each individual to take personal responsibility for his health and his children’s health, not to expect a judge to solve his waistline woes.

Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse is a nonprofit, public education watchdog organization. More than 4,500 citizens throughout Sacramento and the Central Valley voluntarily support CCCALA and its public education mission. For more information, visit www.CCCALA.com