Des Plaines resident James Gertie has filed a class-action suit against McDonald’s and the local Karis Management company, which owns and operates multiple Chicago-area McDonald’s restaurants. The suit alleges consumer fraud and deceptive practices, claiming that the franchise’s menu contains false advertising.
Specifically, the lawsuit concerns McDonald’s “Extra Value Meal,” which comprises two cheeseburgers, fries, and a drink. The meal in question costs $5.90, but the suit claims that the items, when purchased individually, would cost $5.49, or 41 cents less. Gertie claims that he has visited 25 locations to compare prices, and that they all share the same discrepancy. In other words, the marketing of the Extra Value Meal has been misleading to customers, according to Gertie, due to its counterintuitively high price tag. He also states that his lawsuit is not about the 41 cents per se, but rather “the principle of it.” The suit goes on to say that the meal contains “no ‘value’ at all, let alone an ‘extra value.'”
If the class wins the suit against McDonald’s, courts would award plaintiffs any money they’ve lost in overcharges .