The battle between The Council for Education & Research on Toxics & Big Coffee is based on a carcinogen produced during the roasting process called acrylamide.  This is the same carcinogen that potato chip makers were sued several years back.  Although acrylamide is produced naturally during the process of frying or baking some foods, it is prevalent in brewed cups due to the roasting process. 

“While plaintiff offered evidence that consumption of coffee increases the risk of harm to the fetus, to infants, to children and to adults, defendants’ medical and epidemiology experts testified that they had no opinion on causation,” Berle wrote. “Defendants failed to satisfy their burden of proving by a preponderance of evidence that consumption of coffee confers a benefit to human health.”

The defense burden was to show coffee wouldn't cause one or more cases of cancer for every 100,000 people.  I don't even understand how they can unequivocally prove that?  

This suit was filed 8 years ago and sounds to me that someone is just trying to take advantage of the massive coffee market.  The last phase of this trial is to determine a monetary value of exposing the people of California to acrylamide through coffee.  I think the American Cancer Society would agree since they have determined that most of the studies done so far have not found an increased risk of cancer in humans.