Judge rules there's 'no meat' to Chicago man's 'boneless' wings lawsuit

A federal judge in Chicago has ruled there's "no meat on [the] bones" of a restaurant customer’s argument that its boneless wings aren’t actually chicken wings.

The ruling on Tuesday comes after Chicagoan Aimen Halim filed a lawsuit against Buffalo Wild Wings in 2023, alleging that the use of the term “boneless wings” was deceptive and “a clear-cut case of false advertising.”

Halim bought food at a Mount Prospect Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant in January 2023 and said he expected to receive “wings that were deboned,” instead what he got were “essentially chicken nuggets.”

Halim sought monetary damages, claiming that had he known what he was truly eating, he would have either paid less for the product or not bought it at all.

U.S. District Judge John Tharp Jr. dismissed Halim’s claims, ruling that his argument simply did not “meat” the mark.

“Boneless wings are not a niche product for which a consumer would need to do extensive research to figure out the truth. Instead, 'boneless wings' is a common term that has existed for over two decades,” Tharp wrote.

Tharp added that while Halim had standing to bring the claim, having presented enough evidence to suggest he suffered a financial loss, he failed to show that a reasonable consumer would be misled by Buffalo Wild Wings' use of the term “boneless wings.”

The Atlanta-based company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Tharp said Halim has until March 20 to amend his complaint but said that it would be difficult to overturn the ruling.