McDonald's faces a lawsuit over one of its most popular menu items allegedly failing to live up to its namesake.
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The McRib, one of the fast-food chain's staple sandwiches, is the center of an ongoing legal battle regarding whether the sandwich actually contains rib meat.
Four consumers accuse McDonald's of designing the McRib to resemble a rack of pork ribs despite not consisting of actual rib meat.
The sandwich has repeatedly been removed from the menu over the years. Per Business Insider, it was a hit during a limited-time run in 2007, when McDonald's sold more than 30 million McRib sandwiches. The McRib initially debuted in 1981.
McDonald's has sold the McRib on a limited basis for each of the past six years.
McDonald's Slapped With Lawsuit Over McRib Mystery
The class action lawsuit alleges that McDonald's misleads customers by marketing the McRib as a "deliberately crafted to resemble a rack of pork ribs."
McDonald's requested to have the lawsuit dismissed entirely. The petition was later denied in federal court.
US District Judge April Perry in Chicago allowed consumer deception, fraud and unjust enrichment claims to proceed. Five other claims were dismissed without prejudice.
The ruling allows portions of the case to proceed but does not establish that McDonald's intentionally implemented deceptive advertising.
"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, according to court documents obtained by ABC News.
Fox Business previously reported that the fast-food giant is accused of using pork heart, shoulder, and stomach meat instead of ribs.
McDonald's has adamantly refuted the accusations about the McRib's ingredient origins.
The company described the claims as "meritless" and said the plaintiff "distorts the facts" in a statement to Reuters.
"We've always been transparent about our ingredients so guests can make the right choice for them," McDonald's told ABC News.
Perry ruled Friday that McDonald's must face a proposed class action lawsuit over the polarizing sandwich. McDonald's has until Nov. 19 to respond to the complaint.
Thiago Coelho, a lawyer for the plaintiffs, said his clients will continue seeking accountability for deceptive marketing.
The McRib is sold in over 13,000 locations across the US.
