APPLEBEE'S CAN MAKE YOU FAT

Damn you Applebee's...for forcing me to eat your food.

A King County woman has sued the Applebee's restaurant chain claiming menus dramatically understate fat and calorie counts.

In a lawsuit filed earlier this month in King County Superior Court, attorneys representing Anne Paskett claim items on the restaurant's healthier Weight Watchers menu had two to three times the amount of fat advertised.

"Ultimately, the issue is whether consumers were misled," said Jason Epstein, an attorney with Premier Law Group representing Paskett. "Applebee's made certain representations ... and independent lab tests showed that the representations they made were way off."

Applebee's parent company, DineEquity Inc., has yet to file a response to the lawsuit.

Similar lawsuits have been filed against Applebee's in other states. Facing a similar case a Kansas federal court, a DineEquity spokesperson told the Washington Business Journal that Applebee's does "not believe the suit has merit," and it would not comment further on pending litigation.

In King County, attorneys for Paskett have asked that the case receive class-action status. Such a ruling would allow other customers to join the suit.