Judge tosses boneless wing lawsuit, says it has 'no meat on its bones'
Judge tosses boneless wing lawsuit, says it has 'no meat on its bones'
James Powel, USA TODAYWed, February 18, 2026 at 4:01 AM UTC
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A federal judge tossed a lawsuit against Buffalo Wild Wings that alleged the sports bar chain deceived customers by selling boneless wings that are not made of chicken wing meat.
Judge John Tharp Jr. dismissed the proposed class action lawsuit brought in Illinois federal court in 2023 by Aimen Halim, who claimed he was misled into purchasing what Tharp described in the Feb. 17 ruling, obtained by USA TODAY, as "essentially chicken nuggets."
"His complaint has no meat on its bones," Tharp wrote.
Halim accused Buffalo Wild Wings of falsely marketing "boneless wings" in violation of the Illinois Consumer Fraud and Deceptive Business Practices Act. In his lawsuit Halim claimed he expected to receive "wings that were deboned (i.e., comprised entirely of chicken wing meat,)" according to the ruling.
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The outside of a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant on Harper Avenue in St. Clair Shores on Saturday June 28, 2025.
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Tharp noted in the ruling that a cauliflower wing option is presented under the wing section of the menu and it does not cause customers confusion.
"If Halim is right, reasonable consumers should think that cauliflower wings are made (at least in part) from wing meat," Tharp wrote. "They don’t, though."
Tharp allowed Halim until March 20 to amend his lawsuit to present any additional facts that would allow the case to be reinstated but signaled skepticism in his ruling.
"It is difficult to imagine that Halim can provide additional facts about his experience that would demonstrate that BWW is committing a deceptive act by calling its nuggets 'boneless wings,'" Tharp wrote.
USA TODAY has reached out to lawyers for Halim for comment late Feb. 17.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Judge tosses lawsuit against Buffalo Wild Wings over boneless wings
Source: “AOL Breaking”
