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Judge Dismisses $10M Lawsuit Over ‘Boneless Wings’ Label

Judge Dismisses $10M Lawsuit Over ‘Boneless Wings’ Label

Are boneless wings legitimately named or are they deceptively labeled?
Judge Dismisses $10M Lawsuit Over ‘Boneless Wings’ Label
Above: The exterior of a Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant in Austin, Texas on April 18, 2024. Image credit: Brandon Bell/Getty Images

The Spin

The judge got it right dismissing this frivolous lawsuit. Boneless wings can absolutely be called wings because the term refers to the cooking style and sauce, not the body part — just like buffalo wings aren't made from buffalo. Reasonable consumers understand what boneless wings are, evidenced by their lower price point and decades of widespread availability since 2003.

Reality has lost in court. Boneless wings are nothing more than chicken nuggets or breast meat tenders, and calling them wings deliberately misleads consumers about what they're actually buying. The judge even admitted in the ruling that these products are "essentially chicken nuggets," yet still allowed this deceptive labeling to continue.

This case never belonged in federal court to begin with. Americans shouldn’t need judges to settle menu common sense, and treating this like a $10 million grievance is the peak of lawsuit culture. When courts are asked to referee obvious consumer expectations, it shows how reflexively we outsource basic judgment instead of using it.

Metaculus Prediction

There's a 1.6% chance that commercial farming of cows, pigs, and chickens for meat will be prohibited in the U.S. before 2041, according to the Metaculus prediction community.


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© 2026 Improve the News Foundation. All rights reserved.Version 6.18.0

© 2026 Improve the News Foundation.

All rights reserved.

Version 6.18.0