Estimated reading time: 7 minutes.
Key facts
- Case: Le et al. v. McDonald's Corporation, No. 1:25-cv-15609, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (Chicago).
- Filed: December 23, 2025, by four McRib buyers from California, New York, Illinois and Washington, D.C.
- Ruling: On October 30, 2026, U.S. District Judge April M. Perry refused to dismiss the whole case. Consumer deception, fraud and unjust enrichment claims move forward, while five other claims were dismissed without prejudice, according to Fox Business.
- Core allegation: The McRib's name and rib-shaped patty lead buyers to think it contains pork rib meat, when the complaint says it contains none.
- McDonald's position: The company says it does not use hearts, tripe or stomach in the McRib, that the patty is 100% pork, and that the claims are meritless.
- Status: No class has been certified. There is no settlement and no claim form.
In this article
- What the judge decided
- What the lawsuit claims
- The surveys and price figures in the complaint
- Who the proposed classes would cover
- What the company says
- Legal terms in plain English
- What McRib buyers can do now
- What happens next
- Frequently asked questions
McDonald's will have to keep defending a proposed class action that asks a simple question with real money behind it: does a sandwich called the McRib, shaped like a rack of ribs, have to contain rib meat?
A federal judge in Chicago said on Friday, October 30, 2026, that it is too early to throw the case out. The ruling does not mean McDonald's misled anyone. It means the buyers who sued get the chance to try to prove it.
The McRib is a boneless pork patty covered in barbecue sauce and topped with onions and pickles. McDonald's introduced it in 1981 and has brought it back for limited runs ever since, which has helped it build a loyal following.
What the judge decided
McDonald's asked Judge April M. Perry to dismiss the lawsuit. The company argued that a distinctive product name does not fool a reasonable consumer and that its public ingredient list identifies pork as the main ingredient.
According to Reuters, Judge Perry called it premature to accept the argument that no reasonable consumer could expect the McRib to contain rib meat. She noted that McDonald's website describes the sandwich only as containing pork, and said reasonable consumers do not need to do research before buying a $7 fast-food sandwich.
"Plaintiffs' proffered understanding of 'McRib' is not unreasonable or fanciful," Perry wrote, as quoted by Reuters.
The judge also said advertising that highlights the patty's rib-like shape could support a claim that McDonald's intended to deceive, though Reuters reported she said more proof would be needed. Fox Business reported that she rejected the idea that the McRib's trademarked name shields the company, pointing out that other McDonald's names, such as the McChicken and the Egg McMuffin, describe what is in them.
Fox Business reported that claims for consumer deception, fraud and unjust enrichment will proceed, while five other claims were dismissed without prejudice. The news reports reviewed for this article do not list which five claims were dismissed, and the written order was not available on free public court sites when we checked.
What "dismissed without prejudice" means A claim dismissed without prejudice is not permanently thrown out. The buyers can usually try to fix the problems the judge identified and file the claim again in an amended complaint.
What the lawsuit claims
The original complaint was filed on December 23, 2025, by Peter Le of Baldwin Park, California; Charles Lynch of Poughkeepsie, New York; Dorien Baker of Chicago; and Darrick Wilson of Washington, D.C. Each says he bought a McRib in late 2024 believing it contained real pork rib meat, and would not have bought it, or would have paid less, if he had known otherwise. They are represented by Wilshire Law Firm in Los Angeles.
The complaint makes these main claims:
- The name and shape: McDonald's put "Rib" in the product name and formed the patty with ridges so it looks like a cooked rack of pork ribs.
- The marketing: Television, in-store and online ads emphasize that rib-like shape and present the McRib as a special, limited-time product.
- The contents: The complaint alleges the patty contains no meaningful amount of rib meat and is made from lower-cost pork products, which it lists as including shoulder, heart, tripe and scalded stomach.
- The harm: Buyers paid a premium for what they thought was a rib meat sandwich.
These are allegations. McDonald's disputes them, and no court has found them to be true.
The complaint includes 16 counts. They include fraud, fraudulent concealment, negligent misrepresentation, breach of express warranty, breach of contract and unjust enrichment on behalf of a nationwide class, plus state law claims under California's Consumers Legal Remedies Act, False Advertising Law and Unfair Competition Law, New York General Business Law Sections 349 and 350, the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act and the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Procedures Act.
The surveys and price figures in the complaint
The buyers rely on two surveys run by their own survey expert, which the judge cited in her ruling, according to Fox Business.
- Expectations survey: Participants saw a McRib menu ad and were asked which meats they expected it to contain. Of 215 screened respondents, 155, or 72%, said they expected rib meat.
- Importance survey: Participants were asked how important it was that the McRib is made from rib meat. Of 174 screened respondents, 118, or 67%, said it was important or very important.
The complaint also argues that rib meat costs more than other pork cuts. It cites a U.S. Department of Agriculture pork report from November 17, 2025, listing pork ribs at $152.32 per hundred pounds, compared with $108.84 for pork butt and $85.90 for pork loin.
On price, the complaint says McDonald's sold the McRib for an average of $5.63 nationally during its December 2024 run, reaching $7.89 at some locations, while the Big Mac averaged $5.29 over the same stretch.
Why this ruling matters for food labeling cases Many food marketing lawsuits end at the dismissal stage because judges decide no reasonable shopper would be misled. This ruling lets the buyers move to evidence gathering on the question of what a product name and shape tell consumers.
Who the proposed classes would cover
The complaint asks the court to certify a nationwide class of everyone in the United States who bought a McRib from McDonald's from four years before the case was filed until notice is sent to the class. It also proposes four subclasses for residents who bought the sandwich at a McDonald's in their own state or in D.C.:
- California: purchases starting four years before filing.
- New York: purchases starting three years before filing.
- Illinois: purchases starting three years before filing.
- District of Columbia: purchases starting three years before filing.
No class has been certified. The buyers would have to win a separate class certification ruling later in the case before anyone else is formally part of it.
The complaint asks for an order stopping what it calls deceptive naming and marketing of the McRib, along with compensatory, exemplary and punitive damages, statutory penalties, attorneys' fees and interest. It demands a jury trial.
What the company says
In a statement reported by Reuters, McDonald's said it does not use hearts, tripe or stomach in the McRib and has always been transparent about its ingredients. "This lawsuit distorts the facts and the claims are meritless," the company said.
McDonald's has told Fox Business that the McRib contains 100% pork from U.S. farmers and suppliers. In court, the company argued that the buyers' preference for a certain cut of pork "doesn't turn McDonald's truthful marketing into consumer fraud," according to Reuters.
Thiago Coelho, a lawyer for the buyers, told Reuters his clients will continue seeking accountability for deceptive marketing.
Legal terms in plain English
- Proposed class action: A lawsuit filed by a few people who ask to represent a much larger group. It only becomes a class action if a judge certifies the class.
- Motion to dismiss: A request to end a case early on the argument that, even if everything in the complaint were true, it would not break the law.
- Reasonable consumer test: Courts ask whether an ordinary shopper, acting reasonably, would likely be misled. It is not enough that one person was confused.
- Unjust enrichment: A claim that a company kept money it should not fairly keep, such as a price premium paid because of a false impression.
What McRib buyers can do now
There is nothing to sign up for yet. No settlement exists, no class has been certified and no court has decided that McDonald's did anything wrong.
No claim form yet Be wary of any website or message that asks for payment or personal details to join the McRib case. If a class is certified or a settlement is reached, buyers are told through a court-approved notice.
If you bought McRibs in recent years, you can keep any receipts or app order history that show the purchase. Records like these sometimes matter if a case later settles and asks buyers to show proof of purchase, though the court has not said what proof, if any, would be needed.
For cases that are open to claimants now, see our list of class action cases you can join. We have also covered a separate lawsuit over alleged McDonald's menu-price coordination.
This article is for information only and is not legal advice.
What happens next
McDonald's will need to respond to the claims that survived, and the buyers can decide whether to try to revive the dismissed claims with an amended complaint. The case then moves toward discovery, where each side exchanges documents and evidence, and later a fight over class certification. The case could also settle at any point. We will update this story as the court acts.
Frequently asked questions
What is the McRib lawsuit about?
Four buyers allege McDonald's misleads customers by calling the sandwich the McRib and shaping it like ribs when, they say, it contains no rib meat.
Did the judge rule that McDonald's lied?
No. The judge only ruled that some claims are strong enough to continue. Whether McDonald's misled anyone has not been decided.
What does McDonald's say is in the McRib?
McDonald's says the patty is 100% pork from U.S. farmers and suppliers, and that it does not use hearts, tripe or stomach.
Can I join the McRib class action?
Not yet. No class has been certified and there is no settlement or claim form. Buyers would be included automatically only if a class is later certified.
Which court is hearing the McRib case?
The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois in Chicago, before Judge April M. Perry, as case No. 1:25-cv-15609.
What did the McRib cost according to the lawsuit?
The complaint says the McRib averaged $5.63 nationally in December 2024 and reached $7.89 at some locations.
