Beef Products Inc. has settled a $1.9 billion lawsuit against ABC News.
As the Sioux City Journal reports, terms of the settlement are confidential, but in a statement, BPI Attorney Dan Webb said the company was “extraordinarily pleased” with the settlement and that BPI’s product has been vindicated.
In a written statement, an ABC spokesperson said the “amicable resolution” of the lawsuit was in the network’s best interest.
BPI sued ABC in September 2012, claiming that ABC knowingly used false information about its lean finely textured beef product - which is blended with ground beef to reduce fat content - when it referred to it as “pink slime” in a series of reports in March and April of 2012.
Dakota Dunes-based BPI claimed the reports caused a backlash against the product that eventually cost the meat processor millions of dollars in sales and forced it to close three of its four plants, including one near Garden City, Kansas.
ABC defended its stories as being factual and providing vital information to consumers.