A woman from Omsk, Russia, is reportedly suing McDonald’s after an advert showing their cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets caused her to break her fast during Lent.
Ksenia Ovchinnikova, an Orthodox Christian, said she was trying to stay away from meat and other animal products during the six-week period leading up to Easter, in 2019, Fox News reported.
Lent is a strict period in which many devout Christians are expected to sacrifice the eating of meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy for the entire season.
Ovchinnikov told Russian state media that she abstained from eating meat for a month when the enticing McDonald’s advert made her give in.
“When I saw an advertising banner – I could not help myself, I visited McDonald’s and bought a cheeseburger,” she said in her statement.
The outlet reported Ovchinnikov is accusing the fast-food franchise of breaking consumer protection law and insulting her religious feelings. She is suing McDonald’s for $14 (1,000 rubles) as compensation for sustained moral damage.
McDonald’s did not immediately reply to Insider’s request for comment.
Ovchinnikov said in the lawsuit: “In the actions of McDonald’s, I see a violation of the consumer protection law. I ask the court to investigate and, if a violation has taken place, to oblige McDonald’s LLC to compensate me for moral damage in the amount of one thousand rubles.”
This is not the first time McDonald’s has been hit with an ad-related lawsuit. In May, the fast-food chain was sued by two divisions of Allen Media Group over allegations of racial discrimination .
The complaint accused McDonald’s of refusing to advertise on Entertainment Studios networks or The Weather Channel due to racial stereotyping.
