According to a report in the Sunday Times, a group of 12 alcoholics are planning to sue drinks companies for failing to warn them adequately of the dangers of consuming alcohol.
The group is being represented by Glasgow solicitors, Ross Harper, which will be using the same arguments used in successful class actions brought against US tobacco firms.
“Any litigation would have to be based on whether or not the product causes harm and whether or not the producer has a duty of care to customers,” said Jim Price of Ross Harper.
The group’s legal team is expecting to be ready to bring the case to court next month but is first attempting to gain legal aid for its clients. It would then present a test case before the Court of Session in Edinburgh.
The case may well bring new exposure to the debate regarding health warnings on alcohol which have been compulsory in the US for the past 10 years. The British Medical Association has repeatedly called for them to be made mandatory in the UK.
However, a spokesperson for The Portman Group, which speaks for the drinks industry on matters of alcohol policy, said: “Health warnings would have to contain too much information to be fair and accurate.”
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