Judge allows class action McRib lawsuit against McDonald's to proceed

A federal judge in Illinois has rejected a bid by McDonald's to dismiss a class action lawsuit regarding its popular McRib sandwiches and is allowing the suit to move forward.

The class action lawsuit, which was first filed in December 2025, alleges McDonald's engaged in "false representations, omissions and concealments" when it marketed McRib sandwiches "deliberately crafted to resemble a rack of pork ribs" as "premium" pork rib sandwiches.

The lawsuit alleges the McRib sandwiches don't contain any pork rib meat and are made from lower-grade pork products instead.

On the McDonald's website, the description for the McRib sandwich states that it is made with a "McRib Pork Patty" and doesn't specify whether it is a pork rib or not.

"Put simply: consumers have been materially misled en masse as a result of McDonald's deceptive labeling and marketing into purchasing sandwiches that they would not otherwise have purchased, or would only have paid less for, had they known the truth," the plaintiffs' lawsuit reads.

McDonald's pushed back against the lawsuit's claims, calling the lawsuit "meritless" and saying it "distorts the facts" in a statement to ABC News.

The fast food giant said in part, "We've always been transparent about our ingredients so guests can make the right choice for them."

McDonald's has until Nov. 20 to submit a response to the complaint.