McDonald's Corporation and McDonald's USA announced a significant victory in the Guster-Hines v. McDonald's USA litigation. The U.S. District Court in the Northern District of Illinois ruled in McDonald's favor on multiple motions for summary judgment.

In its decision the court:

• Granted summary judgment in favor of McDonald's Corporation and Chris Kempczinski and removed both parties as individual defendants from the case.
• Dismissed all non-promotion claims against McDonald's.
• Dismissed all disparate treatment claims against McDonald's.

Desiree Ralls-Morrison, Executive Vice President, Global Chief Legal Officer at McDonald's Corporation, released the following statement on the court's ruling:

"The Court threw out the overwhelming majority of Plaintiffs' claims and sharply narrowed this case. The record will confirm that the remaining allegations against McDonald's USA have no factual or legal basis.

"Plaintiffs and their lawyers cannot fabricate facts and hope that saying them out loud will magically make them true. Discrimination, harassment, and retaliation have no place at McDonald's. Our people deserve a workplace that is safe, welcoming, and respectful, and we take that responsibility seriously. McDonald's USA will continue to vigorously defend itself against the unfounded characterizations advanced in this lawsuit.

"Ms. Neal was terminated solely because of her workplace conduct - 17 employees, including several diverse employees, reported that she created what was characterized as a toxic work environment in less than 2 years. Her dismissal was not for any unlawful reason. And Ms. Guster-Hines was promoted 15 times over the course of her career at McDonald's before choosing to retire from her role as Operations Officer in October 2021. As the Court noted, McDonald's USA made clear that if she elected to retire, the door remained open for her to return to the Company."