US Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has announced that alcohol consumption poses a significant cancer risk, warranting warning labels on beverage containers. Personal injury law firm Parker Waichman LLP is now seeking plaintiffs for a class-action lawsuit against the alcohol industry, citing decades of known cancer risks despite lack of public warnings.
The National Association of Wine Retailers’ Tom Wark predicted this move would occur after Surgeon General Murthy’s advisory was released on January 3. Wark stated that the lawsuit will claim “Big Alcohol has known for decades that alcohol causes cancer and did nothing to warn the public.”
Parker Waichman claims to have recovered over two billion dollars in past cases, including a class-action suit against the Trump Organization and toxic substances at Camp Lejeune. The law firm’s website suggests a potential link between alcohol consumption and cancer diagnosis, with plaintiffs eligible for compensation.
Wark notes that establishing this connection will be challenging due to the “tenuous” relationship between alcohol and cancer. He also fears that even unsuccessful lawsuits could still have significant financial costs and potentially reduce moderate alcohol consumption in the long run.
The impact of these warnings on the alcohol industry remains uncertain, with some questioning whether the risks are equal across all types of alcoholic beverages. The issue will be addressed in a series of articles starting next week on OregonLive.
Source: https://www.oregonlive.com/wine/2025/01/personal-injury-powerhouse-parker-waichman-goes-after-alcohol-industry-over-cancer.html