Texan cattlemen fight on as odds stack up in Oprahs favour

19 February 1998

Texan cattlemen fight on as odds stack up in Oprahs favour

TEXAS cattlemen are fighting on in their $10 million case against Oprah Winfrey whom they accuse of deliberately defaming American beef during one of her talk show programmes on BSE in April 1996.

But Winfrey has won the first round following the judges ruling on Tuesday that
the chat show host had not deliberately spread lies. The judge would not allow the case to continue under the controversial “veggie libel” rules which prevents people from badmouthing food products.

The case is continuing as a normal business defamation case in which the
cattlemen must prove she acted with malice, something which is thought difficult
to prove.

• The Times 19/02/98 page 17
  
• The Independent 19/02/98 page 13
  
• The Daily Telegraph 19/02/98 page 22