Legal Stausch began in 1996 when animal rights activist Howard Lyman appeared as a guest on the show. oprah winfrey show In an episode titled dangerous food.

Mad cow disease, bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), was already in the headlines after a British study showed it was linked to brain disease in humans.

Mr. Reiman predicted in front of millions of television viewers that there would be a major impact on U.S. beef, and Ms. Winfrey declared that his comments had made her “cold enough that I don’t feel like eating a hamburger anymore.”

Within two weeks of the show’s broadcast, U.S. beef prices plummeted to a 10-year low, and some ranchers blamed Winfrey.

In December 1997, a group of executives sued Winfrey and the show’s producers for defamation, accusing them of billions of dollars in losses.

The beef industry cited Texas’ false perishables contempt law, which allowed farmers and food companies to silence critics of their products.

But Winfrey refused to accept the legal attack quietly.

She moved the entire show to the Texas town of Amarillo, where the case is being heard. A gag order prevented Winfrey from speaking about the incident on her show, but the media circus drew many supporters and animal rights activists.

Finally, the court dismissed the livestock case.

Emerging from the courtroom triumphantly, Winfrey declared, “Freedom of speech is not only alive, but unwavering.”

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