MCDONALD’S SUED FOR $10B FOR ALLEGED BIAS VS BLACK-OWNED MEDIA

McDonald's Corp. was sued on Thursday (Friday, May 21, 2021, in Manila) for at least $10 billion by two companies owned by media entrepreneur Byron Allen, who accused the fast-food chain of racial discrimination for not advertising enough with Black-owned media outlets, Jonathan Stempel reported for Reuters.

The complaint filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court said McDonald's violated federal and state civil rights laws through its "racial animus and racial stereotyping" in allocating ad dollars.

According to the complaint, Chicago-based McDonald's has refused to advertise with Allen's Entertainment Studios Networks, which owns several lifestyle channels, or his Weather Group, which owns The Weather Channel.

The complaint said Blacks comprise about 40% of McDonald's customers, but the company devoted less than $5 million of its $1.6 billion US ad budget in 2019 to Black-owned media.

"McDonald's, like much of corporate America these days, publicly touts its commitment to diversity and inclusion, but this is nothing more than empty rhetoric," the complaint said.

Allen sued on the same day McDonald's said it would boost its national ad spending with Black-owned media to 5% from 2% by 2024, and also spend more on Hispanic-, Asian-American, women- and LGBTQ-owned platforms.

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