ABC, Meat Company Settle Their Beef

Beef Products Inc. settled a defamation and libel lawsuit against the American Broadcasting Company and its reporter Jim Avila in part for using the term “pink slime” in a broadcast, Reuters reported Wednesday.

The meat processor alleged that ABC, a division of Walt Disney Co DIS, also made errors and omissions in its 2012 reporting on its beef product. No terms of the settlement were revealed.

"While this has not been an easy road to travel, it was necessary to begin rectifying the harm we suffered as a result of what we believed to be biased and baseless reporting in 2012," the beef company said in a statement.

The company sought up to $1.9 billion in damages, which could have been tripled to $5.7 billion under South Dakota's Agricultural Food Products Disparagement Act.

"Throughout this case, we have maintained that our reports accurately presented the facts and views of knowledgeable people about this product," ABC said in a statement.

"Although we have concluded that continued litigation of this case is not in the company's interests, we remain committed to the vigorous pursuit of truth and the consumer's right to know about the products they purchase."

The trial began earlier this month in Elk Point, South Dakota.

Related Link: U.S. Joins Other Countries In Banning Bad Beef In Brazilian Bribery Scam _________ Image Credit: "USDA inspection of beef grinding operation" by United States officer or employee of the US government, [public domain], via Wikimedia Commons