Food & Beverage

  • December 11, 2025

    NLRB Judge Tosses Case Against 'Memphis 7' Starbucks

    An administrative law judge has determined that Starbucks didn't violate the National Labor Relations Act when it surveilled employees' union activities, more strictly enforced its punctuality policy and disciplined a union employee at a store that illegally fired seven activists in 2022.

  • December 11, 2025

    DoorDash, Uber Sue NYC To Block Checkout Tip Prompt Law

    DoorDash and Uber Eats filed suit together Thursday in Manhattan federal court, seeking to block two New York City laws that the food delivery companies say force them to solicit tips before or as customers check out, in an alleged violation of the companies' constitutional rights.

  • December 11, 2025

    Nabisco Wheat Thins Buyers Win OK On $10M False Ad Deal

    A California federal judge on Thursday said he will give final approval to Nabisco and parent Mondelez's $10 million deal over claims it falsely advertised Wheat Thins as containing "100% Whole Grains," and said plaintiffs' attorneys deserve a one-third cut of the deal for battling through "a number of unreasonable positions taken by the defendants."

  • December 11, 2025

    Pharmacies Battle For Coverage Of Opioid Lawsuit Claims

    Publix Super Markets and a Georgia-based generic-drug wholesaler urged the Eleventh Circuit on Thursday to force their insurers to defend them in numerous lawsuits accusing the pharmacies of improperly distributing opioids, arguing their policies' coverage for "bodily injury" should include the suits.

  • December 11, 2025

    Judge Certifies Conn. Sushi Chef's Raw Deal Paycheck Suit

    A Connecticut Asian fusion restaurant must face a class action employment case led by a sushi chef who claimed he and others worked close to 80 hours some weeks at a flat rate, without overtime pay.

  • December 11, 2025

    Split Pa. Panel Blocks Police Reports On Liquor Licensee

    A trial court was wrong to deny a Philadelphia establishment's appeal for renewal of its liquor license, since nearly a dozen police reports the court considered should have been excluded as hearsay, a split appellate panel said Thursday.

  • December 11, 2025

    Agri Stats Says DOJ Wants To 'Leapfrog' Pork Pricing Claims

    Agri Stats urged a Minnesota federal court to reject the Justice Department's bid to "leapfrog" a set of private antitrust cases involving pork prices by using a scheduled May trial for its information sharing claims against the data firm instead.

  • December 11, 2025

    Josh Cellars President Denied Early Win In $4M Royalty Feud

    The former president of the company that produces Josh Cellars wines has been denied an early win in a $4 million trademark royalties lawsuit because a judge said she cannot resolve whether the parties orally amended an LLC agreement or whether a clause requiring written alterations is controlling.

  • December 11, 2025

    Ga. Justices Leave $500K Atty Fee Lien In Place

    The Georgia Supreme Court decided it won't review a lower appellate court's ruling that upheld a nearly $500,000 lien awarded to a team of Atlanta personal injury lawyers who said they were bilked by a former client.

  • December 11, 2025

    EDTX Jury Finds TV Ad Tech Patent Invalid In Win For Taiv

    A Texas federal jury on Thursday cleared Canadian smart TV box company Taiv Inc. of infringement allegations by MyChoice LLC over a television advertising technology patent, and also found the patent was invalid.

  • December 10, 2025

    Del. Court Keeps Alive Board Liability Claims In Blue Bell Suit

    Citing questions surrounding a five-year failure to press director and officer claims to liability releases during litigation over tainted ice cream, a Delaware vice chancellor on Wednesday rejected judgment on the pleadings favoring the releases, marking the latest twist of the eight-year Blue Bell Creameries damages saga.

  • December 10, 2025

    Starbucks DEI Goals Are 'Race-Based Quotas,' Fla. AG Claims

    Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is accusing coffee giant Starbucks Corp. of violating state civil rights protections in its efforts to promote an inclusive workforce, claiming in a state lawsuit Wednesday that the company's diversity, equity and inclusion policies "cross the line into illegal, race-based quotas."

  • December 10, 2025

    Amazon Shoppers In Price-Hike Suit Say Retailer Deleted Docs

    Amazon shoppers accusing the e-commerce giant of price-gouging during the COVID-19 pandemic urged a Seattle federal judge to sanction the company for allegedly destroying an "untold number of documents" crucial to their proposed consumer class action.

  • December 10, 2025

    6th Circ. Chides US For Lacking Merits In Distilling Ban Case

    A Sixth Circuit judge criticized the U.S. Department of Justice on Wednesday for refusing to address the merits of a suit challenging the constitutionality of the U.S. tax code's ban on home distilling, saying the government cannot decide what the appellate court reviews.

  • December 10, 2025

    Sens. Pitch Hemp Regulation Bill Following Passage Of Ban

    U.S. Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., reintroduced a bill Wednesday that would regulate products with hemp-derived cannabinoids, with an emphasis on age gating, manufacturing standards, and testing and labeling requirements.

  • December 10, 2025

    Dreyer's Misleads Fruit Bar Buyers About 'Processed' Treats

    Dreyer's falsely claims that its Outshine fruit bars are nutritionally equivalent to eating real fruit, despite containing large amounts of added sugar and artificial ingredients, which means the products are "engineered, processed desserts, not simple frozen fruit," a proposed class action filed Tuesday in California federal court alleges.

  • December 10, 2025

    Supreme Court Urged To Deny Alaska's Fishing Regs Petition

    The U.S. and tribal associations are asking the Supreme Court to deny the state of Alaska's petition that seeks to reverse a Ninth Circuit order that barred it from opening part of the Kuskokwim River to all fishers, arguing that any intervention in the dispute should come from Congress.

  • December 09, 2025

    Smucker Pet Food Buyers Near Cert. In PFAS Disclosure Fight

    A California federal judge said Tuesday he's inclined to certify a class of consumers who allege The J.M. Smucker Co. failed to disclose risks of so-called PFAS forever chemicals in pet-food packaging contaminating kibble, telling counsel during a hearing that many issues Smucker raises "are better addressed on the merits."

  • December 09, 2025

    Chipotle Bowl Delivered By DoorDash Had 'Rodent,' Suit Says

    A New York woman has sued Chipotle, DoorDash and one of the food delivery company's "dashers," alleging in a complaint filed in New York state court that she "bit into a rodent" concealed in a burrito bowl she had delivered from the fast-casual restaurant chain.

  • December 09, 2025

    Tyson Seeks Del. Toss Of Suit For Poultry Growing Docs

    An attorney for a Tyson Foods Inc. stockholder told a Delaware magistrate in Chancery on Monday that records and sources spanning years support allegations of mismanagement and animal abuse and cruelty in poultry production, justifying wider document access.

  • December 09, 2025

    Starbucks Loses Bid For Second Look At 'Triple Shot' Ruling

    Starbucks can't get a Seattle federal judge to revise his order allowing a proposed investor class action over its "Triple Shot" reinvention plan to proceed, with the judge saying a recent Ninth Circuit decision on an investor suit over an ad slogan does not change his position.

  • December 09, 2025

    McDonald's Narrows Fired Worker's Sex Harassment Suit

    An ex-McDonald's worker failed to show she was fired for complaining that a co-worker sexually harassed her, an Illinois federal judge ruled, cutting claims from a proposed class action that the fast food giant often retaliated against workers who reported on-the-job sexual harassment.

  • December 09, 2025

    TTAB Rejection Of 'Kahwa' TM Reversed By Fed. Circ.

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday reversed the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's rejection of a trademark registration for cafes called "Kahwa," saying just because it refers to a Central Asian green tea drink doesn't mean it's too generic to register as a trademark.

  • December 09, 2025

    Feds Push For Dismissal Of H-2A Wage Rule Suit

    The Trump administration asked a Florida federal judge to dismiss a suit challenging a Biden-era rule that boosted wages for foreign H-2A farmworkers, saying the case is moot after a Louisiana federal judge permanently blocked the rule nationwide.

  • December 08, 2025

    Baby Food Cos., Parents Clash On Heavy Metals MDL Experts

    A California federal judge heard arguments Monday over what expert witness evidence to allow in an upcoming trial over whether lead and arsenic in baby food from Gerber, Beech-Nut, Walmart and others contributed to ADHD and autism in children, as counsel from both sides kicked off a high-profile weeklong Daubert hearing.

Expert Analysis

  • 7 Ways Employers Can Avoid Labor Friction Over AI

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    As artificial intelligence use in the workplace emerges as a key labor relations topic in the U.S. and Europe, employers looking to reduce reputational risk and prevent costly disputes should consider proactive strategies to engage with unions, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Series

    Playing Baseball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing baseball in college, and now Wiffle ball in a local league, has taught me that teamwork, mental endurance and emotional intelligence are not only important to success in the sport, but also to success as a trial attorney, says Kevan Dorsey at Swift Currie.

  • What Cos. Must Note From EU's Delivery Hero-Glovo Ruling

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    The European Commission’s recent landmark decision in Delivery Hero-Glovo, sanctioning companies for the first time over a stand-alone no-poach cartel agreement, underscores the potential antitrust risks of horizontal cross-ownership between competitors, say lawyers at McDermott.

  • Ultra-Processed Food Claims Rely On Unproven Science

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    Plaintiffs' arguments that ultra-processed foods are responsible for the nationwide increase in certain chronic illnesses, though a novel approach to food-based personal injury claims, depend on theories that are still being tested, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • A Look At Trump 2.0 Antitrust Enforcement So Far

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    The first six months of President Donald Trump's second administration were marked by aggressive antitrust enforcement tempered by traditional structural remedies for mergers, but other unprecedented actions, like the firing of Federal Trade Commission Democrats, will likely stoke heated discussion ahead, says Richard Dagen at Axinn.

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Tips For Cos. From California Climate Reporting FAQ

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    New guidance from the California Air Resources Board on how businesses must implement the state's sweeping climate reporting requirements should help companies assess their exposure, understand their disclosure obligations and begin documenting good-faith compliance efforts, says Thierry Montoya at Frost Brown.

  • FDA's Hasty Policymaking Approach Faces APA Challenges

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    Though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has abandoned its usual notice-and-comment process for implementing new regulatory initiatives, two recent district court decisions make clear that these programs are still susceptible to Administrative Procedure Act challenges, says Rachel Turow at Skadden.

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • What 9th Circ. Cracker Barrel Ruling Means For FLSA Cert.

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    The Ninth Circuit's decision in Harrington v. Cracker Barrel suggests a settling of two procedural trends in Fair Labor Standards Act jurisprudence — when to issue notice and where nationwide collectives can be filed — rather than deepening circuit splits, says Rebecca Ojserkis at Cohen Milstein.

  • Defense Lessons From Freshworks' Win In Post-IPO Case

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    A California federal court’s recent decision to grant Freshworks’ summary judgment bid in a proposed investor class action helpfully clarifies two important points for defendants facing postoffering securities claims under Section 11 of the Securities Act, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • Series

    Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator

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    Mah-jongg rewards patience, pattern recognition, adaptability and keen observation, all skills that are invaluable to my role as a mediator, and to all mediating parties, says Marina Corodemus.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

  • Challenging A Class Representative's Adequacy And Typicality

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    Recent cases highlight that a named plaintiff cannot certify a putative class action unless they can meet all the applicable requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, so defendants should consider challenging a plaintiff's ability to meet typicality and adequacy requirements early and often, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

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