Federal Judge Allows McRib Class Action Lawsuit Against McDonald’s to Move Forward

A federal judge in Chicago has ruled that McDonald’s must face a proposed class action lawsuit alleging the fast-food chain misleads customers about the meat content of its McRib sandwich.

U.S. District Judge April Perry rejected the company’s motion to dismiss the case in full on Friday, allowing claims of consumer deception, fraud, and unjust enrichment to proceed. The court dismissed five other claims without prejudice.

The lawsuit, filed in December by four consumers, contends that McDonald’s designed the McRib patty to resemble a rack of pork ribs despite containing no actual rib meat. Plaintiffs argue the sandwich’s name, appearance, and marketing create the impression that customers are purchasing a premium cut of pork.

In her ruling, Judge Perry determined it was premature to conclude that consumers could not reasonably expect the sandwich to contain rib meat. She cited the plaintiffs’ allegations regarding marketing practices and consumer surveys submitted as evidence.

One survey indicated that 72% of respondents expected the McRib to contain rib meat, while another found that 67% considered rib meat important or very important to their purchasing decision, according to court filings. The ruling permits portions of the case to advance but does not establish that McDonald’s engaged in deceptive advertising.

The complaint alleges the McRib patty consists of lower-grade pork products, such as pork shoulder, heart, tripe, and stomach, rather than rib meat. McDonald’s has denied these allegations, stating the sandwich contains 100% pork sourced from U.S. farmers and suppliers, and that it does not use heart, tripe, or scalded stomach in the patty.

The company argued that the sandwich’s name does not mislead reasonable consumers and noted that its publicly available ingredient list identifies pork as the primary component. Judge Perry rejected the argument that the McRib’s trademarked name shields the company from deceptive marketing claims, observing that other McDonald’s products—including the McChicken and Egg McMuffin—have names that describe their ingredients.

A representative for McDonald’s did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Introduced in 1981, the McRib has cultivated a dedicated following through its periodic limited-time returns to menus nationwide. The sandwich features a boneless pork patty topped with barbecue sauce, onions, and pickles. McDonald’s operates nearly 14,000 restaurants in the U.S. and more than 45,000 worldwide.

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