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McDonald’s Hires White & Case to Defend Against AI Price-Fixing Suits

By  |  November 3, 2026
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McDonald’s has hired international law firm White & Case to defend against US class-action lawsuits alleging that the fast-food giant used artificial intelligence to coordinate menu prices across its restaurant network, Reuters reported Tuesday.

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    The appointment comes as the company faces allegations that its use of algorithmic pricing technology facilitated coordination between corporate-operated restaurants and independently owned franchises, potentially violating federal antitrust laws.

    Attorneys from White & Case joined the company’s defense in federal court proceedings in Chicago on Monday, according to Reuters. The legal team includes Jack Pace III, a co-leader of the firm’s antitrust and competition practice. White & Case has more than 2,000 lawyers worldwide.

    The lawsuits, filed in October, allege that McDonald’s used pricing software to facilitate coordination among restaurants that would otherwise make independent pricing decisions. Plaintiffs contend that the technology processes commercially sensitive information to generate pricing recommendations that could reduce competition and increase costs for consumers.

    The litigation follows an earlier Reuters investigation examining McDonald’s use of machine-learning technology to guide menu pricing decisions.

    According to that reporting, the company’s pricing platform analyzes information from millions of daily transactions across approximately 14,000 U.S. restaurants to develop recommendations for individual menu items.

    Read more: McDonald’s, Deloitte Under Fire Over Alleged Menu Pricing Scheme

    The plaintiffs argue that sharing sensitive pricing and sales information through a centralized technology platform could undermine independent decision-making among franchise operators and lead to higher consumer prices.

    McDonald’s has denied the allegations, maintaining that individual franchise operators retain control over their menu prices.

    The company previously told Reuters that artificial intelligence does not determine the selling price of its products, including the Big Mac. McDonald’s has characterized its pricing technology as an advisory system that provides recommendations rather than imposing uniform prices across restaurants.

    White & Case brings experience in major competition disputes to the company’s defense. Pace and other attorneys at the firm are also representing the National Association of Realtors and academic publisher Taylor & Francis in separate antitrust proceedings, Reuters reported.

    Pace did not immediately respond to Reuters’ request for comment regarding his involvement in the McDonald’s litigation.

    The lawsuits are part of a broader wave of antitrust litigation examining the use of algorithmic pricing systems across U.S. industries. Similar legal challenges have emerged in residential real estate and hospitality, where plaintiffs have alleged that shared pricing technology can facilitate coordination among competing businesses.

    McDonald’s operates through a franchise-based business model in which independently owned restaurants share a common brand and certain operational systems while retaining responsibility for individual business decisions.

    The cases are proceeding in federal court in Chicago. The allegations against McDonald’s have not been established in court.

    Source: Reuters