Hagens Berman Files Class Action Against McDonald's Over Sugar Free McCafé Drinks

Three consumers filed a class-action lawsuit against McDonald's on November 6, 2026, accusing the chain of labeling eight McCafé coffee beverages "sugar free" even though they contain up to 18 grams of sugar per serving. Business Wire reported the filing, brought by Hagens Berman and co-counsel Sterlington PLLC in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Hagens Berman's Case Against Eight McCafé Drinks

The lawsuit says the sugar content is up to 36 times the amount allowed for a beverage legally labeled "sugar free" in a large serving. The affected drinks are the Sugar Free French Vanilla Latte, Sugar Free French Vanilla Cappuccino, Sugar Free Iced French Vanilla Latte, Iced Sugar Free French Vanilla Coffee, Sugar Free Vanilla Latte, Sugar Free Vanilla Cappuccino, Sugar Free Iced Vanilla Latte and Iced Sugar Free Vanilla Coffee.

Hagens Berman is a plaintiffs' class-action law firm founded in 1993 and based in Seattle, representing consumers, investors, employees and whistleblowers on a contingency fee basis, according to company records. The lawsuit states that federal law bars calling a beverage "Sugar Free" when it has more than 0.5 grams of sugar per reference amount and per labeled serving, and that state consumer protection laws forbid selling products under false names.

According to the filing, the drinks also lack an FDA-required disclaimer that they are not low-calorie. The lawsuit says the sugar content is not shown on in-store or drive-through menus or on in-store electronic ordering kiosks, and that the products are sold at roughly $2.50 to $5.50 per beverage at thousands of locations and through McDonald's website, mobile app and third-party apps including DoorDash, Uber Eats and Grubhub.

"There are no two ways about it: 'sugar free' means zero sugar, and we believe calling beverages with up to 18 grams of sugar 'sugar free' is patently untrue," said Steve Berman, Hagens Berman co-founder and managing partner. "Consumers deserve to have accurate information about the foods they purchase to make the best choices for their health."

The proposed class seeks repayment for purchasers of the affected products and court-ordered relief correcting the labeling. The lawsuit says McDonald's began renaming its "Sugar Free" beverages "Reduced Sugar" after Hagens Berman and Sterlington filed a similar class action against Starbucks on October 2, 2026, but continues to describe some of them as sugar free in marketing.

Hagens Berman's Record on Consumer Cases

Hagens Berman's records list total victories and settlements valued at more than $345 billion for class members and clients, according to akta.pro company records. The same records list the $22.78 billion NCAA Student-Athlete Name, Image and Likeness antitrust settlement, described as the largest antitrust settlement in U.S. history, and recognition by The National Law Journal as one of the Top 10 Plaintiff Firms in the Country.

Earlier Hagens Berman Filings

On October 28, 2026, Hagens Berman announced a $212.5 million settlement with Zillow in a securities class action, which it described as potentially the largest single securities settlement in the Western District of Washington, FinancialContent Business Page reported. On October 2, 2026, a U.S. magistrate judge recommended certifying a class of more than 30 million consumers in an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon and five major e-book publishers, with the report finding Amazon customers paid over $740 million more than in a competitive market, the same outlet reported.

What Comes Next for the McDonald's Case

The lawsuit was filed on November 6, 2026, and seeks class certification and corrective relief; no hearing date or ruling is stated in the filing announcement.