Hey Thelma,
You are absolutely right! It is infuriating that, rather than pointing out that adults have both free will and the developmental level necessary to make consenting choices about eating, and other things, our social climate actually encourages abdication of responsibility by awarding those people with ridiculously large settlements--which, lets face it, even if McDonald's et al. WERE at fault for this man's obesity, would they really owe him millions of dollars? I mean, he's not terminally ill--now that he's finally noticed he's obese, he's still able to go on a weight-loss program and become totally healthy again. And, as for this idea that "it's about full disclosure" and not getting as much money as possible, why would the plaintiff be asking for so much $$$ then? For himself? It's not like he's going to go around afterwards, finding the poor people hoodwinked and injured by the fast food industry's evil practices and sharing the settlement with them. Also, if this lawyer were so noble, why wouldn't he take this case pro bono, or for a minimum fee? I don't know what he stands to earn out of this, but I would bet all of my tiny bank account that it is ALOT.
Relating this to the other Dr. Phil topic of airline seating, I would also bet that this same man, who is basing his lawsuit on the fact that he is obese, would be completely offended if he were asked to buy an extra seat. Well, I would suggest that he use some of the millions from his lawsuit to pay for it. I mean, as a normal-sized but quite tall person, I find it quite cramped and uncomfortable on many flights--should I have the right to put up the armrest and use part of the seat next to me as extra room for my long legs? I don't really think that would fly (OHHH, sorry, I just noticed the awful pun!)