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Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Byron Allen Doubles Down On McDonald's Lawsuit


The media entrepreneur Byron Allen has filed a second lawsuit against McDonald's Corp over the fast-food chain's alleged refusal to advertise with Black-owned media.

In a complaint filed last week in Los Angeles, Allen's Entertainment Studios Networks Inc and Weather Group LLC said McDonald's "lied" when it pledged in May 2021 to boost national ad spending with Black-owned media to 5% from 2% by 2024.

Reuters reports Allen said he would know if McDonald's were honoring that pledge because his Allen Media Group represents more than 90% of Black-owned media. He said he relied on McDonald's pledge when seeking new business from the company, only to be rebuffed.

The lawsuit seeks $100 million plus punitive damages for McDonald's alleged violation of a California anti-fraud law against making false promises.

Allen's case is in addition to his $10 billion federal lawsuit saying McDonald's ad practices amount to "racial stereotyping" that violated federal and California civil rights laws.

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