A South Dakota judged denied to throw out a defamation lawsuit against ABC News for its coverage of the meat product known as lean–finely-textured-beef, which has been dubbed by some as “pink slime.”
The company Beef Products Inc. sued the network in 2012 for $1.2 billion in damages. They are claiming that ABC’s coverage prompted the closure of three of its plants by misleading consumers that the beef was unsafe by referring to it as “pink slime.”
ABC’s defense team argue that the network did make mention that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has classified this product as safe to eat. This was allegedly said in each of its broadcasts on the topic.
The judge ruled that the television network is not protected against liability because it mentioned that the product was safe to eat.
The ruling was a preliminary motion to dismiss. The next step is starting discovery and ultimately presenting the case to a jury.