Dr. Phil relates concern over diet pills he endorsed

Dr. Phil relates concernover diet pills he endorsed
LOS ANGELES -- "Dr. Phil" McGraw stated in e-mails that he had "no expertise" in making the diet pills he endorsed, according to court filings in a lawsuit alleging the TV psychologist made false statements about the products.
McGraw also insisted on "the STRONGEST of disclaimers" in the products' advertisements before putting his name on the now discontinued Shape Up! diet campaign, the New York Daily News reported Monday, citing e-mail printouts that are included in Los Angeles Superior Court filings.
"This fleshes out our position that Dr. Phil was in charge ... he was rewriting the commercials," said lawyer Henry Rossbacher, who filed the lawsuit against McGraw in 2004 on behalf of three unhappy customers.
McGraw, the TV show host and author of "The Ultimate Weight Solution: The 7 Keys to Weight Loss Freedom," has denied the allegations.
"It's a pretty silly claim," said his Dallas-based lawyer, Bill Dawson. "It's the kind of suit that makes people hate lawyers."
McGraw jumped into the lucrative weight-loss market in mid-2003 with a campaign that included advice books, a prime-time special with NBC's Katie Couric on obesity and dieting, and his Shape Up! With Dr. Phil McGraw products.
Shape Up! shakes, bars and multivitamins made by Irving, Texas-based CSA Nutraceuticals were sold in supermarkets, Target, Wal-Mart and elsewhere. The plan called for 22 pills daily at $120 a month.
CSA Nutraceuticals agreed to stop making the supplements early last year as it faced a Federal Trade Commission investigation into false-advertising concerns.
According to the label, the pills "contain scientifically researched levels of ingredients that can help you change your behavior to take control of your weight."
McGraw wrote the e-mails to express concerns with the ad campaign for the diet products.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit are seeking class-action status to include thousands of potential plaintiffs.
A judge could rule on that request early next year.
Denzel Washington gives$25,000 to heat program
ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. -- Denzel Washington has given $25,000 to a program that helps the needy in Rocky Mount pay their heating bills.
The gift by the 50-year-old actor, announced Sunday at an event at North Carolina Wesleyan College, is believed to be the largest gift in the 19-year history of the Winter Assistance for Rocky Mount program.
Officials said the donation resulted from Washington's friendship with Rocky Mount native and high school coach Herman Boone.
Washington played Boone in the 2000 movie "Remember the Titans," which was based on Boone's experience as the football coach at a newly integrated Virginia high school in 1971.
Rapper case takes a break
NEW YORK -- Rapper Foxy Brown is almost totally deaf, her lawyer said Monday.
Attorney Joseph Tacopina disclosed Brown's hearing problem after a question about why they exchanged notes while waiting in Manhattan Criminal Court for her case to be called on an unresolved 2004 assault charge.
"She's pretty much totally deaf now," Tacopina said. "She can't hear me. We have to write things back and forth. Anything I have to communicate with her now has to be written."
Brown, 25, revealed during a court appearance in September that she would soon undergo surgery to try to correct her hearing. Obviously straining to hear questions, she refused to discuss the possible cause of the problem.
Tacopina said Monday the prognosis from that surgical procedure is still undetermined, but "hopefully it [the condition] is reversible. She has to undergo another surgery."
Today's birthdays
Jazz musician Dave Brubeck is 85. Country singer Helen Cornelius is 64. Actor James Naughton is 60. Former Sen. Don Nickles, R-Okla., is 57. Actress JoBeth Williams is 57. Actor Tom Hulce is 52. Actor Kin Shriner is 52. Talk show host Wil Shriner is 52. Actor Miles Chapin is 51. Rock musician Rick Buckler (The Jam) is 50. Comedian Steven Wright is 50. Country singer Bill Lloyd is 50. Singer Tish Hinojosa is 50. Rock musician Peter Buck (R.E.M.) is 49. Rock musician David Lovering (Pixies) is 44. Actress Janine Turner is 43. Rock musician Ben Watt (Everything But The Girl) is 43. Rock musician Ulf "Buddha" Ekberg (Ace of Base) is 35. Actress Colleen Haskell is 29. Actress Lindsay Price is 29.