Two South Florida McDonald’s customers are accusing the fast food giant of forcing them to pay for Quarter Pounders with Cheese when they only wanted plain Quarter Pounders. 
 
 A lawsuit by Cynthia Kissner of Broward County and Leonard Werner of Miami-Dade County was filed earlier this month in U.S District Court in Fort Lauderdale and seeks class action status. 
 
 Werner says he decided to cut down on the amount of dairy in his diet awhile back and started ordering Quarter Pounders without cheese. After a couple of visits to McDonald’s, he started noticing he was still being charged for the cheesy versions. “I started talking with some lawyer friends, saying, ‘What’s the deal? They can charge for something I didn’t get?’ It’s not right.” 
 
 The suit says McDonald’s ceased displaying plain Quarter Pounders and Double Quarter Pounders on its in-store menus “at some point” after advertising and displaying the cheese-less options “for years.” The suit asserts the company now requires customers who want them as a standalone sandwich or as part of a value meal to buy the “with Cheese” versions and ask for the cheese to be left off. 
 
 But the cheese-less sandwiches are still available at reduced prices for customers who order them via McDonald’s mobile app or through a third-party delivery services, says the suit, which was filed by Andrew T. Lavin of Miami-based Lavin Law Group P.A. 
 
 “Notwithstanding the availability of Quarter Pounders and Double Quarter Pounders, customers have been forced, and continue to be overcharged for these products, by being forced to pay for two slices of cheese, which they do not want, order, or receive, to be able to purchase their desired product,” the suit says. 
 
 The lawsuit accuses the company of unfair and deceptive trade practices and unjust enrichment. 
 
 It states that McDonald’s typically charges between 20 cents and 40 cents to add cheese to one of their standard products. On its mobile app, a plain Quarter Pounder is priced between 30 cents and 90 cents less than the Quarter Pounder with Cheese, while a Double Quarter Pounder is 80 cents less without cheese, the suit says. 
 
 Attorney Russell B. Adler of Adler Law Center in Fort Lauderdale, a member of the legal team that filed the suit, said he estimates as many as 25 million consumers might have been overcharged. 
 
 Responding to the suit, McDonald’s issued this statement: “We do not believe the claims in this lawsuit have legal merit. The advertised Quarter Pounder Burger comes with cheese. We try to accommodate our customers’ requests by allowing them to customize their orders such as a Quarter Pounder with no cheese. Additionally, McDonald’s owners and operators determine menu pricing to be competitive in their market.” 
 
 But as the lawsuit states, the Quarter Pounder is available without cheese as a menu item via McDonald’s mobile app — for $3.29, a full $1 less than the price of the Quarter Pounder with Cheese at some Broward County locations. At other locations in Palm Beach and Miami-Dade counties, the price difference is just 30 cents. 
 
 Adler said that if McDonald’s is found liable, he might ask that each overcharged customer receive $25 and two free Quarter Pounders if proof of purchase by credit or debit card exists, or $10 and one free Quarter Pounder for customers who have no receipt or paid cash. 
 
 Other lawsuits against McDonald’s 
 
 2014 — Just One Napkin: Webster Lucas sued McDonald’s for $1.5 million because he was given only one napkin with his meal. Lucas said being given just one napkin sparked an argument with the store manager in Pacoima, Calif., that left Lucas with emotional distress and unable to work. (Daily Mail) 
 
 2016 — Extra Money Meals: Chicago-area plaintiff sued over the price of the fast food chain’s “Extra Value Meals,” arguing that a combination of two cheeseburgers, medium fries and a soft drink cost 41 cents more than if the items were ordered individually. The suit was dismissed last month. (Chicago Tribune) 
 
 2017 — Plastic payments: Owners of 16 Pennsylvania McDonald’s restaurants agreed to pay $1 million to settle claims they violated state law by paying hourly employees with fee-laden debit cards. (U.S. News and World Report) 
 
 2012 — No More Toys: A California judge dismissed a lawsuit seeking to stop McDonald’s from using toys to market its signature Happy Meals. The plaintiff, who was represented by a nutrition advocacy group, said the giveaways exploit young children and harm their health by advertising unhealthy food directly to them. (Reuters) 
 
 1994 — Hot Coffee Burns: In one of history’s most famous civil suits, Stella Liebeck won a $2.9 million jury award after spilling scalding coffee on her legs outside an Albuquerque, New Mexico, McDonalds. She went into shock and was hospitalized for a week, undergoing numerous skin graft operations. The case became the focus of jokes by late-night TV hosts as well as calls for tort reform. But it also prompted McDonald’s to lower the serving temperature of its coffee by 10 degrees. The jury award was later lowered to about $500,000. (Reader’s Digest) 
 
 rhurtibise@sun-sentinel.com, 954-356-4071, twitter: twitter.com/ronhurtibise
– They didn't want cheese on their Quarter Pounders. They claim they had to pay for it anyway—a cost of up to $1—and now want $5 million for the trouble. That's according to a new lawsuit filed by two Florida residents against McDonald's, which should be used to such fights by now. It came after Leonard Werner says he realized McDonald's was repeatedly charging him for a Quarter Pounder with Cheese, but giving him a cheese-less sandwich, as he requested. "I started talking with some lawyer friends, saying, 'What's the deal? They can charge for something I didn't get?' It's not right," Werner says, per the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. According to Werner, McDonald's restaurant menus no longer feature a cheese-less Quarter Pounder, but its app menu does, at a reduced cost of 30 cents to $1. Restaurant customers are therefore "being forced to pay for two slices of cheese, which they do not want, order, or receive, to be able to purchase their desired product," the suit says. One of the attorneys who filed the suit, which is seeking class-action status, explains people who order a Big Mac with items left off "are not entitled to a credit against the purchase price" because the burger is trademarked according to its ingredients, per the Miami Herald. He says that's not the case with the Quarter Pounder, since a cheese-less option is sold. Another lawyer involved says up to 25 million customers may have been overcharged and could be eligible to receive $10 and a free sandwich should a judge side with the plaintiffs. McDonald's doesn't expect that to happen, claiming the suit is without legal merit. (Read about another person who had a problem with McDonald's.)