McLibel
Omniquest is teaming up with Tim Matheson (Animal House, Van Wilder) to produce
Based on The McLibel Trial, the infamous British court case between McDonald’s and a former postman & a gardener from London (Dave Morris and Helen Steel). McLibel is a story about Conrad Macy, an entry-level lawyer new to the McDonald’s corporate team. It is his job to make legal trouble for anyone that headquarters sees fit, including two apparent English rabble-rousers. What he anticipates to be an inconsequential, McLibel.
open-and-shut, matter turns into the longest court case in British legal history and profoundly alters Macy views on McDonald’s and himself.
Morris and Steel were volunteers with Greenpeace who, along with 3 others, began distributing leaflets accusing the multinational fast food giant of social, nutritional, and environmental wrongs. McDonald’s threatened a libel suit if the group did not apologize, cease and desist. Steel and Morris held their ground and thus, the case was tried. McDonald’s hired the best, high profile lawyer that they could find, flew in expert witnesses, even deployed spies to infiltrate Greenpeace’s ranks. Morris and Steel defended themselves, garnering social sympathy along the way. The case dragged on for 2.5 years before the judge delivered his ruling. The verdict was devastating for McDonald’s. The judge found that they do ‘exploit children’ with their advertising, produce ‘misleading’ advertising, are ‘culpably responsible’ for cruelty to animals, are ‘antipathetic’ to unionization and pay their workers low wages. However, Steel and Morris failed to prove all of their points and should pay £60,000 in damages. They refused and McDonald’s knew better than to pursue it.
