Judge Allows McDonald’s McRib Lawsuit to Proceed

U.S. District Judge April Perry on October 30, 2026, declined to dismiss in full a proposed McRib class action in the Northern District of Illinois. She allowed consumer deception, fraud and unjust-enrichment claims to proceed and dismissed five other claims without prejudice. Peter Le, Charles Lynch, Dorien Baker and Darrick Wilson filed on December 23, 2025 and amended in March 2026. Plaintiffs cite surveys finding 72% of respondents expected rib meat and 67% said it was important to buying. The McRib debuted in 1981. McDonald's has nearly 14,000 U.S. restaurants and more than 45,000 worldwide. Plaintiffs allege the patty is made from pork shoulder, heart, tripe and scalded stomach, and that the name, shape and marketing imply rib meat. McDonald's describes it as "seasoned boneless pork" and says it does not use heart, tripe or scalded stomach. The company says the suit "distorts the facts and the claims are meritless" and that cut preference "doesn't turn McDonald's truthful marketing into consumer fraud." Perry wrote that plaintiffs' understanding of "McRib" is "not unreasonable or fanciful," likened the name to McChicken and Egg McMuffin, and found it too early to say consumers could not expect rib meat. The ruling does not decide liability; the class is not certified.