Yum Brands Inc. has announced that it will file lawsuits against three Chinese media companies that have been spreading false rumors about its KFC brand on social media. According to the Washington Post, the rumors include that the chain serves maggot-infested food and that it has created deformed chickens.

Yum filed a lawsuit against three companies — Shanxi Weilukuang Technology, Taiyuan Zero Point Technology and Yingchenanzhi Success and Culture Communication — accusing them of sharing articles and photos on the social media app WeChat to fuel false rumors and tarnish the restaurant’s reputation, according to the Associated Press. It said KFC found some 4,000 messages that had been read more than 100,000 times.

“The rumors about KFC using chickens with six wings and eight legs have been around a long time,” the company said in its statement, which is written in Chinese on its Web site. Yum Brands is seeking $242,000 in damages and an apology from all three defendants.

Source: Washington Post