Man Sues McDonald's, Claims He Was Clowned By Extra Value Meals

This lawsuit is about the principle, not the extra 41 cents. That’s what a suburban Chicago man said when discussing the reasons behind his lawsuit against the owners of two suburban McDonald’s he patronized this fall, as he alleges the chain’s over-charging for their cheeseburger Extra Value Meals. The plaintiff, a bus driver from Des Plaines, filed the lawsuit on Dec. 13—according to The Daily Herald—and alleges it’s cheaper to buy the items individually, not bundled.

James Gertie didn’t specify how much money he wanted from McDonald’s in the lawsuit. Gertie maintains that the Extra Value Meals should add “value” and that up-charging customers 41 cents fails to accomplish that. He paid $5.90 for the two cheeseburger meals, according to the lawsuit. Allegedly, he could have paid $2.50 for the two burgers, $1.99 for the fries and $1 for a soft drink for a total of $5.49.

His attorneys want a Cook County judge to grant the lawsuit class-action status, so others could eventually be given a coupon or such as damages from a hypothetical settlement. Gertie said he bought Extra Value Meals during a five-day period between Oct. 14 and Nov. 13 at McDonald’s in suburban Des Plaines and Niles. He later discovered it cost 7.5-percent less to buy the items in the two-cheeseburger Extra Value Meal separately and didn’t like explanations restaurant staff provided for the price discrepancies, according to the lawsuit.

The operators of the McDonald’s in question, Karis Management Co., own nine McDonalds’ in the Chicago area, outside of the city. The next court date for the case has yet to be assigned.