Lawsuit Claims McDonald's Value Meals Are No Value

One man is questioning the value of McDonald's combo deals in court.

James Gertie of Des Plaines, Ill., has filed a consumer fraud class action against a Chicago-area McDonald's franchisee's pricing of value meals, the Cook County Register reported. The suit says that its pricing of the "Extra Value Meal"—which includes two cheeseburgers, fries and a drink—is 41 cents more expensive than if customers ordered the items separately.

The defendant, Karis Management Company, owns more than 10 McDonald's restaurants near Chicago. In the complaint, Gertie says he purchased an "Extra Value Meal" from at least five of Karis' restaurants between Oct. 14 and Nov. 13.

Each time, he was charged $5.90 for the meal. However, the suit claims that if he purchased them individually, he would have paid $2.50 for the two burgers, $1.99 for the fries and $1 for the drink—or about $0.41 less than the value deal.

The pricing makes the meal "no 'value' at all, let alone an 'extra value,'" the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit is seeking to refund overcharged money to any customer who purchased the meal deal at any restaurant operated by Karis, as well as punitive damages.