Maybe I'm not understanding the article - aren't they being sued for claiming it was "vegetarian" back then when it really wasn't? Obviously if they never made that claim before then there'd be no grounds for a lawsuit. If MickyD's wants to claim something is vegetarian when it really isn't, that sounds like lying to me.
McDonald's used to cook their fries in beef tallow. when they stopped that, they advertised that they were now using 100 per cent vegetable oil for frying.
Which is true.
Their french fries were coated with a "natural flavoring" which was derived from beef. Somebody discovered this and sued.
McDonald's never claimed that the fries were vegetarian, and the idea of a vegetarian assuming that he could eat anything from a burger joint that wasn't covered in burger grease is dubious.
SD
The lie is not sufficient for liability. Actual damage must be shown. I wonder how to show that the beef bullion damaged someone?