Beef Products Incorporated's former general counsel took the witness stand for a third day Tuesday in the defamation trial between the company and ABC News.
ABC attorney Dane Butswinkas continued his cross-examination of David Jochum. Jochum is the former general counsel for BPI.
In a portion of Tuesday’s proceedings, Butswinkas asked Jochum about the labeling of BPI’s product at fast-food giant McDonald’s.
Butswinkas: There wasn’t any way for people to know when they were eating McDonald’s hamburgers that your product was in there, was there? BPI attorney: Objection, calls for speculation. Judge: Overruled. Jochum: Yes, there was information various places that, um, trade press – other places – there was information where people would’ve been able to find out that McDonald’s and the McDonald’s system was a customer. Butswinkas: But no way to know from going into a McDonald’s and buying a hamburger? Jochum: Not that I’m aware of.”
Jochum previously testified that he found numerous inaccuracies in reports broadcast by ABC and national correspondent Jim Avila.
Avila is listed as a codefendant with the network. BPI alleges ABC conducted a wrongful media campaign by calling its lean, finely textured beef product 'pink slime' in network reports. The Dakota-Dunes based meat company claims almost $2 billion dollars in actual damages in the case.