McDonald's Lawsuit: What's Pending, What Ended, Who Gets Paid
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Short answer, checked September 30, 2026: we found no open McDonald's settlement for customers — no fund, no claim form, no deadline. The consumer class actions over the McRib's name and an orange-juice surcharge on breakfast combos are unresolved, as far as we could find. The 2024 E. coli outbreak produced individual injury suits and proposed class actions; the first injury suit was reported settled, terms undisclosed. The July and August 2026 headlines were individual cases: a Manhattan customer suing over “extremely hot” fries and a former marketing director alleging religious discrimination. The only 2026 McDonald's-related settlement we found, reported in the press, covers job applicants of a single franchise owner, not customers.
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Reviewed by Leonard Goldberg, Editor · Last updated
The Customer Cases: What They Claim
McRib (filed December 23, 2025). Four customers allege the McRib “does not contain any actual pork rib meat at all” and that the patty is made from cuts such as “pork shoulder, heart, tripe, and scalded stomach.” They call the name a “deliberate sleight of hand” and seek compensatory damages, restitution and an order stopping the advertising. McDonald's says the suit “distorts the facts” and that the sandwich is “made with 100% pork.”
Orange-juice surcharge. Customers allege that breakfast-combo menu boards picture an orange juice beside a fixed price, but an extra charge is added when you choose it. They want a nationwide class plus California, Nevada and Florida subclasses.
E. coli (2024). Slivered onions on Quarter Pounders were linked to an outbreak from September to October 2024: at least 104 people ill in 14 states, one death. The supplier, Taylor Farms, recalled yellow onions on October 25, 2024, and the CDC declared the outbreak over on December 3, 2024. Lawsuits followed against McDonald's and the supplier.
Hot fries (filed July 21, 2026). A New York City customer alleges burns to her mouth and tongue from fries that were “overheated and not safe for human consumption,” bought at a restaurant across from Bryant Park. It is one person's injury suit, not a class action — the same category as the famous McDonald's hot coffee lawsuit.
Case Details
McRib: Le v. McDonald's Corporation, No. 1:25-cv-15609, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, assigned to Judge April M. Perry.
Orange juice: Meyers v. McDonald's Corporation, No. 5:23-cv-02589, U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. In a ruling reported June 12, 2025, Judge Jesus G. Bernal dismissed the parent company, McDonald's Corporation, but kept McDonald's USA LLC in the case and let fraud and misrepresentation claims go forward nationwide, along with California and Nevada consumer-law claims. He rejected McDonald's USA's argument that it could not be held responsible for what franchise restaurants do.
E. coli: the first reported suit was filed October 23, 2024 by a Colorado man in the Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois. A proposed class action against McDonald's followed in the Northern District of Illinois later that month, and one against the onion supplier, Taylor Fresh Foods, in the Northern District of California in November 2024.
Hot fries: New York State Supreme Court, complaint filed July 21, 2026.
Status on September 30, 2026: No Customer Settlement
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Who Could Be Included, and What to Keep
McRib: the proposed class is people who bought the sandwich. Orange juice: people charged extra for orange juice with a breakfast combo, with separate California, Nevada and Florida groups. In both, we found no certified class, so nobody is included yet: a class exists only once a judge certifies one or approves a settlement, and then an administrator publishes a notice and a claim form. You cannot “join” a McDonald's class action by signing up with anyone today.
What to keep: your order history in the McDonald's app or your card statements. If a settlement ever comes, that record is what shows you bought the product.
If you got sick in the 2024 outbreak, yours is a personal-injury claim, not a class payout. Keep your medical records and any lab result, and ask a lawyer about your state's filing deadline soon rather than later.
Is There Money? The Honest Answer
For workers and job applicants, settlements have been reported — one franchise owner at a time. Example: KTC LLC, a Washington McDonald's franchisee, agreed to a $681,600 settlement over job ads without pay ranges, according to press reports in May 2026. Applicants to its restaurants from January 1, 2023 to March 13, 2025 were expected to receive about $1,093.40 each by paper check, with no claim form. A final approval hearing was reported for the end of August 2026; we could not confirm the outcome. A settlement like this covers one franchisee's applicants, not McDonald's nationwide.
McDonald's Cases: Timeline
- 1
August 31, 2020 — Black Franchisees Sue
Black franchise owners file King v. McDonald's USA in federal court in Chicago, alleging they were steered toward underperforming restaurants and given less support.
- 2
October 2024 — E. coli Outbreak, First Suits
Onions on Quarter Pounders are linked to at least 104 illnesses in 14 states and one death. The first suit is filed October 23; the outbreak is declared over December 3.
- 3
May–June 2025 — Two Cases End, One Goes On
Kytch files a joint stipulation on May 8 dismissing its ice-cream-machine case with prejudice. Byron Allen's $10 billion suit settles in June, terms undisclosed. The orange-juice case is allowed to proceed.
- 4
December 23, 2025 — McRib Class Action Filed
Four customers sue in the Northern District of Illinois over the sandwich's name and what its patty is made of.
- 5
July 21 and August 4, 2026 — New Individual Suits
A Manhattan customer sues in state court over burns from hot fries. A former marketing director files a religious-discrimination suit in Chicago federal court.
- 6
September 21, 2026 — Franchisee Case Cut Down
Judge Steven Seeger dismisses most of the 480 claims by 48 Black franchisees; claims over denied financial or rent relief continue. As of September 30, 2026, we found no customer settlement.
Three Things to Watch For
A famous brand with several lawsuits and no customer payout is exactly what fake “settlement” pages feed on:
“Claim your McDonald's settlement” pages
There is no customer claim form for the McRib, orange-juice or E. coli cases. A page asking for your card number, Social Security number or a fee to “secure your share” is collecting data, not filing a claim. A real notice names the court, the case number and an administrator.
Payout figures with no case number
Search results include pages promising 2026 “updates, payouts” on a McDonald's “100% beef” lawsuit. Before you believe any payout figure, look for the court, the case number and a named administrator — a real settlement has all three.
“Your McDonald's check is waiting” messages
In the Washington franchisee case, press reports said checks would be mailed automatically to addresses already on file. A text or email asking for a fee, a bank login or a card “verification” to release a McDonald's check is not from an administrator.
McDonald's Lawsuit — Questions People Actually Ask
Is there a McDonald's settlement I can claim right now?
Not for customers, as far as we could find on September 30, 2026. The McRib and orange-juice class actions have no settlement, and the one E. coli settlement we found was individual. Worker settlements exist, but each covers one franchisee's employees or applicants. For claims that are open today, see our list of open settlements.
What is the McDonald's class action about the McRib?
Four customers sued on December 23, 2025 in federal court in Chicago (No. 1:25-cv-15609), claiming the name “McRib” misleads buyers because the patty contains no pork rib meat. McDonald's says many of the claims are inaccurate and the sandwich is 100% pork. As of September 30, 2026, we found no ruling on the merits and no settlement.
Is the McDonald's orange juice lawsuit real?
Yes. Meyers v. McDonald's Corporation, No. 5:23-cv-02589, is in federal court in California. In a ruling reported June 12, 2025, the judge let it continue against McDonald's USA LLC. We found no settlement and no claim form.
Can I still sue McDonald's over the 2024 E. coli outbreak?
People who got sick generally bring individual injury claims; proposed class actions were also filed in 2024, but we found no class settlement. Filing deadlines depend on the state where it happened, and the outbreak ran from September to October 2024 — if you have medical records from then, speak to a lawyer now. The first reported case, brought by a Colorado man, was reported settled in August 2025, terms not disclosed.
What is the McDonald's lawsuit about hot fries?
A New York City customer filed a negligence suit in New York State Supreme Court on July 21, 2026, alleging burns to her mouth and tongue from “extremely hot” fries. It is one person's injury case, not a class action, and nothing has been decided. For the case it keeps being compared to, see the McDonald's hot coffee lawsuit.
What happened to the Black franchisees' lawsuit against McDonald's?
On September 21, 2026, Judge Steven Seeger dismissed most of the 480 claims brought by 48 Black franchisees in federal court in Chicago, many because the conduct fell outside the time limits. Claims that McDonald's denied them financial or rent relief given to other owners continue. McDonald's denies discriminating. Customers have no stake in this case.
Did McDonald's pay Byron Allen or the ice-cream-machine startup Kytch?
Byron Allen's $10 billion suit, which accused McDonald's of discriminating against Black-owned media, settled in June 2025; financial terms were not disclosed. Kytch's federal case ended when Kytch filed a joint stipulation on May 8, 2025 dismissing it with prejudice. Neither case was brought on behalf of customers.
I got a message about a McDonald's settlement. Is it real?
Check three things: the court and case number, the administrator's name, and whether it asks you for money. Real class notices never charge a fee. According to press reports, the Washington franchisee's applicants were to receive checks automatically, with no claim form. A message about a McDonald's customer settlement describes something we could not find as of September 30, 2026.
Separate from this case: were you injured in the last 2 years?
Class-action payouts are fixed amounts through an administrator. A personal injury claim is a different case — and often worth far more. Free estimate, no obligation.
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