Former McDonald's CEO Stephen Easterbrook unveiling the company's new corporate headquarters during a grand opening ceremony on June 4, 2018, in ChicagoThe Securities and Exchange Commission charged former McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook on Monday with misrepresenting his November 2019 firing. McDonald's board fired Easterbrook in 2019 for a consensual relationship with an employee, which violated the company's fraternization policy. In December 2021, the two parties settled the lawsuit, and McDonald's successfully clawed back Easterbrook's severance, valued at $105 million. McDonald's has not admitted or denied the SEC's findings. In a statement, the company said that the SEC's actions reinforce what it has previously said about its handling of Easterbrook's misconduct.

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