A proposed class-action lawsuit claiming McDonald’s McRib sandwich contains no rib meat despite its name and patty shape has been pending since it was filed in December 2025.
On Friday last week, U.S. District Judge April Perry in Chicago allowed the case to move forward, declining to dismiss key deception and fraud claims while throwing out other counts without prejudice.
Customers who sued say McDonald’s misled them into believing they were paying for a more expensive cut of pork. Their complaint alleges the patty is actually made from ground pork that includes shoulder, heart, tripe, and stomach.
McDonald’s has rejected those charges from the outset.
When the case was first filed, a spokesperson told The Independent that “this lawsuit distorts the facts and many of the claims are meritless,” adding that the McRib is made with 100% pork from U.S. farmers and suppliers and that no hearts, tripe, or stomach are used in the sandwich.
McDonald’s has also argued that customers are never promised rib meat to begin with, since pork is the main ingredient it lists. The plaintiffs, however, counter with consumer survey data showing that 72% of respondents expected the McRib to have rib meat, and 67% said rib meat mattered in their decision to buy it.
The ruling landed just days after the McRib returned to select locations in cities including Los Angeles, Chicago, Miami, Atlanta, Philadelphia, and Dallas. The sandwich, a limited-time fixture on McDonald’s menus on and off since its debut in 1981, remains available only in those markets for now.
With the motion to dismiss rejected, the lawsuit now heads toward the discovery phase, where plaintiffs will attempt to prove their claims and seek official class-action status. For now, McDonald’s will have to continue defending the sandwich in court.
Sources: CourtListener, Scribd, Reuters, Wide Open Country, Independent