• April 5, 2012

A San Francisco judge has dismissed a proposed class-action lawsuit aimed at stopping McDonald's from offering free toys with its Happy Meals in the state of California.

Plaintiff Monet Parham, a mother of two, had charged that McDonald's was violating California's consumer protection laws because appealing to children with freebie toys constitutes unfair and deceptive marketing.

Michael F. Jacobson, executive director of The Center for Science in the Public Interest, which represented Parham in the suit, issued a statement saying that CSPI and the defendant are discussing whether to appeal the decision. He called marketing fast food with free toys a "predatory practice" that in time will seem "as inappropriate and anachronistic as lead paint, child labor and asbestos."

McDonald's told Reuters that it is pleased with the decision. "We are proud of our Happy Meals and will vigorously defend our brand, our reputation and our food," said McDonald's spokesperson Danya Proud.