Judge lets McRib lawsuit against McDonald’s go ahead

CHICAGO: A U.S. federal judge has rejected McDonald’s request to dismiss a proposed class action that accuses the company of defrauding consumers about what is in its McRib sandwich, Reuters reported.

U.S. District Judge April Perry, ruling in McDonald’s hometown of Chicago on Friday, dismissed some claims but said the core consumer-deception allegations can move forward. The ruling does not decide whether McDonald’s misled anyone, and a class has not been certified.

The plaintiffs, four consumers who filed the suit in December 2025, argue that McDonald’s shapes the McRib patty with ridges to resemble pork ribs and make diners believe the sandwich contains rib meat, an expensive cut. They say the patty is actually made from lower-grade pork products, including shoulder, heart, tripe or stomach, and that they overpaid as a result. They are seeking damages and changes to the sandwich’s advertising.

Perry called it premature to accept McDonald’s argument that no reasonable consumer could expect a McRib to contain rib meat. She noted that McDonald’s website describes the sandwich only as containing pork, and said reasonable consumers need not do research before buying a $7 fast-food sandwich. The judge also wrote that ads highlighting the meat’s rib-like shape could support a claim of intent to defraud, though further proof would be needed.

“Plaintiffs’ proffered understanding of ‘McRib’ is not unreasonable or fanciful,” Perry wrote.

McDonald’s denies the allegations. The company has said the McRib is made with 100 per cent pork sourced from farmers and suppliers in the United States, has denied that the patty contains hearts, tripe or scalded stomach, and has called the lawsuit meritless and said it distorts the facts, according to reports by ABC7 Chicago and Yahoo.

McDonald’s has sold the McRib periodically since 1981. The ruling was reported by Reuters, NBC News, U.S. News and Fox Business. The case is in a U.S. court and does not affect Canadian menus, but “McDonald’s McRib lawsuit” was among the most-searched topics in Canada on Saturday, according to Google Trends.

For more on what Canadians are spending at restaurants, see our report: Food service sales reach $8.9B in August, up 0.3%. On grocery pricing, see Loblaw rejects hundreds of millions in supplier hikes.

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