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September 13, 2024
Trio Of BigLaw Mergers Expected To Drive More Deal Talks
After months of a relatively steady pace of law firm mergers and acquisitions, the trio of proposed BigLaw tie-ups announced in recent days will likely spur more firms toward entertaining similar deal talks, experts say. Here, Law360 offers a snapshot of the proposed deals.
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September 13, 2024
Monster Tears Into Supplements Co. For Using 'Beast' Marks
Monster Energy Co. has launched a suit in California federal court that accuses a Miami-based company of marketing and selling supplements that infringe Monster's "Beast"-related trademarks.
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September 13, 2024
UFCW Pushes Supermarket To Produce Records In Labor Row
The United Food and Commercial Workers Local 400 asked a federal judge to compel a grocery store to comply with a subpoena for records relating to grievances about workers' hours and pay.
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September 13, 2024
Nestlé Can't Ax Danone's Whey Protein Patent At EPO
Danone has rebuffed a bid by food and drink giant Nestlé to scrap its European patent for a whey protein composition, as it proved that using gum arabic as a sugar substitute was a new invention.
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September 13, 2024
UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London
This past week in London has seen a football agent sue Chelsea FC after being cleared of allegations he threatened the club’s former director, an ongoing patent dispute between Amgen and Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, and a private school in Edinburgh suing Riverstone Insurance over compensation claims tied to historical abuse allegations made by former pupils. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.
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September 12, 2024
6th Circ. Says Food Transporter Illegally Shuttered Warehouse
A bulk food delivery contractor for grocery giant Kroger violated federal labor law when it closed its Louisville, Kentucky, terminal after a union representation election and fired employees, the Sixth Circuit has ruled, upholding a National Labor Relations Board decision.
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September 12, 2024
DOL Has Authority To Issue Salary Regs, 5th Circ. Affirms
The U.S. Department of Labor has the authority to issue salary rules as part of its role in defining the overtime exemptions of the Fair Labor Standards Act, the Fifth Circuit affirmed, in a case that raised questions about the DOL's power to regulate a fundamental aspect of wage and hour law.
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September 12, 2024
Mass. Pot Regulator Gets Acting Head, Fired Chair To Appeal
The Massachusetts cannabis regulator has a new acting chair, as state Treasurer Deborah B. Goldberg on Thursday appointed a temporary replacement after her decision to fire Shannon O'Brien, who intends to appeal the termination.
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September 12, 2024
Ex-Bojangles Workers Get OT Collective Cert, But Just In NC
A North Carolina federal judge has ruled that former assistant Bojangles managers claiming they were wrongfully denied overtime pay have shown they are similarly situated, but that they haven't justified certification of a Fair Labor Standards Act collective action with a geographic scope beyond the Tar Heel State.
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September 12, 2024
Calif. OTA Denies Refund For Criminal Restitution Payments
California's Office of Tax Appeals said it is unable to refund criminal restitution payments to a couple who operated 21 Subway franchises in the southern part of the state between 2003 and 2010 and pleaded guilty to tax fraud and evasion for some of those years.
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September 12, 2024
Tesco Ruling Puts Employers On Notice: Keep Your Promises
A rare injunction issued by the U.K. Supreme Court on Thursday is a warning to employers to stick to what they promised in a contract — but lawyers say it does not prevent bosses from firing staff and rehiring them on worse terms.
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September 12, 2024
Cleary Gottlieb-Led General Mills Snacks On $2B Yogurt Sale
General Mills Inc. said Thursday that it will sell its North American yogurt business to two French dairy companies for $2.1 billion in total cash, allowing it to focus on its core brands.
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September 12, 2024
Tesco Cannot Rehire Workers To Cut Pay, Top UK Court Rules
Retail giant Tesco's decision to fire and rehire warehouse workers to remove what it described as a "permanent" pay supplement was a violation of their employment contracts, the U.K. Supreme Court ruled Thursday.
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September 11, 2024
Litigation Spending To Rise As Cases Grow More Aggressive
A substantial number of large companies are expecting to increase their litigation spending by double digits next year in the face of more complex and hard-fought cases — and they are more open to bringing in new legal talent to navigate the matters, according to a report released Thursday.
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September 11, 2024
Sprout Foods Can't Get 9th Circ. Redo In Baby Food Label Suit
A split Ninth Circuit panel declined Tuesday to rethink its decision that federal law doesn't preempt a couple's California state law claim over allegedly misleading nutrition labels on Sprout Foods baby food labels.
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September 11, 2024
Conn. Pizza Chain Sued By Ex-Operations Chief For Age Bias
The former director of operations for Frank Pepe's, a Connecticut-based pizza chain, sued the company Tuesday in federal court for allegedly firing him because of his age, race and gender.
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September 11, 2024
Top Calif. Biz Bills Sitting On Gov. Newsom's Desk
Among the hundreds of bills awaiting California Governor Gavin Newsom's signature are a number that would create new guidelines for Golden State employers, healthcare industry players, as well as artificial intelligence labeling, textile recycling and increasing criminal penalties for corporate malfeasance by tens of millions of dollars.
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September 11, 2024
Mars Can't Claim For Contaminated Ice Cream, Supplier Says
A food supplier has denied owing confectionery giant Mars Wrigley £1.1 million ($1.4 million) after ice cream became contaminated with an allegedly hazardous pesticide, claiming it didn't need to check for the substance.
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September 11, 2024
IP Boutique Hires Murgitroyd Pro For Life Sciences Team
Haseltine Lake Kempner LLP has hired a new partner from rival Murgitroyd & Co. for its chemistry and life sciences team as the firm looks to expand its patent capabilities in the northern English city of Leeds.
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September 11, 2024
Agricultural Co. Can't Nix Rival's IP Rights Over Mandarins
A European Union court said Wednesday that a French company can keep its plant breeding rights over Nadorcott mandarins, chucking its rival's claim that the variety is not novel.
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September 11, 2024
BurgerFi Flips Into Ch. 11, Burned By Rising Costs
BurgerFi International Inc., the fast casual chain that also has Anthony's Coal Fired Pizza & Wings restaurants under its umbrella, filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware on Wednesday, listing up to $500 million in debt and being deluged by increasing operational costs.
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September 10, 2024
Whole Foods, Hain Denied Full 5th Circ. Review In Baby Food Case
The Fifth Circuit on Monday shut down a bid from grocery store chain Whole Foods and international food company Hain Celestial Group for a rehearing of a panel's decision remanding to state court a suit alleging Hain's baby food caused the mental and physical decline of a toddler.
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September 10, 2024
UK Court OKs Nix Of Partners' Tax Deduction For Amortization
A lower court was correct in ruling that a trio of U.K. entities that formed a limited liability partnership cannot take a tax deduction for the amortization of intangible assets they contributed to the LLP against their share of the profits, the Upper Tribunal ruled.
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September 10, 2024
Prime Hydration Beats Most Beverage PFAS Claims, For Now
A California federal judge on Monday declined to end a putative class action accusing Prime Hydration of misleadingly marketing its Grape Sports Drink as healthy when it contains so-called "forever chemicals," although she tossed most of the lawsuit's claims with leave to amend.
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September 10, 2024
Reynolds Wrap Co. Gets OK For $725K Retirement Fee Deal
An Illinois federal judge has granted final approval to a $725,000 settlement between a food packaging company that makes Reynolds brand products and participants in an employee 401(k) plan who alleged the company paid too much for recordkeeping fees.
Expert Analysis
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Series
Being An Opera Singer Made Me A Better Lawyer
My journey from the stage to the courtroom has shown that the skills I honed as an opera singer – punctuality, memorization, creativity and more – have all played a vital role in my success as an attorney, says Gerard D'Emilio at GableGotwals.
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How Law Firms Can Avoid 'Collaboration Drag'
Law firm decision making can be stifled by “collaboration drag” — characterized by too many pointless meetings, too much peer feedback and too little dissent — but a few strategies can help stakeholders improve decision-making processes and build consensus, says Steve Groom at Miles Mediation.
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What BIPA Reform Law Means For Biometrics Litigation
A recently signed Illinois law amending the Biometric Information Privacy Act limits defendants' liability exposure on a per-scan basis and clarifies that electronic signatures constitute a valid written release, establishing additional issues that courts will need to address in future BIPA litigation, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.
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Fed. Circ. Resolves Post-AIA Question On Prefiling Activity
For more than a decade, patent attorneys have worried about what the America Invents Act means for specific prefiling activities, but two recent Federal Circuit decisions suggest the enumerated prefiling activities in Section 102(a)(1) will not affect validity if done within a year of filing the application, says Howard Skaist at Berkeley Law.
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Opinion
Litigation Funding Disclosure Key To Open, Impartial Process
Blanket investor and funding agreement disclosures should be required in all civil cases where the investor has a financial interest in the outcome in order to address issues ranging from potential conflicts of interest to national security concerns, says Bob Goodlatte, former U.S. House Representative for Virginia.
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What NFL Draft Picks Have In Common With Lateral Law Hires
Nearly half of law firm lateral hires leave within a few years — a failure rate that is strikingly similar to the performance of NFL quarterbacks drafted in the first round — in part because evaluators focus too heavily on quantifiable metrics and not enough on a prospect's character traits, says Howard Rosenberg at Baretz+Brunelle.
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Opinion
Toxic Water Case Shows Need For Labeling To Protect Kids
A recent case involving contaminated alkaline water that inflicted severe liver damage on children underscores the risks that children can face from products not specifically targeted to them, and points to the need for stricter labeling standards for all bottled water, says Vineet Dubey at Custodio & Dubey.
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Replacing The Stigma Of Menopause With Law Firm Support
A large proportion of the workforce is forced to pull the brakes on their career aspirations because of the taboo surrounding menopause and a lack of consistent support, but law firms can initiate the cultural shift needed by formulating thoughtful workplace policies, says Barbara Hamilton-Bruce at Simmons & Simmons.
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Planning Law Firm Content Calendars: What, When, Where
During the slower month of August, law firms should begin working on their 2025 content calendars, planning out a content creation and distribution framework that aligns with the firm’s objectives and maintains audience engagement throughout the year, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.
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Series
Playing Golf Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Golf can positively affect your personal and professional life well beyond the final putt, and it’s helped enrich my legal practice by improving my ability to build lasting relationships, study and apply the rules, face adversity with grace, and maintain my mental and physical well-being, says Adam Kelly at Venable.
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Law Firms Should Move From Reactive To Proactive Marketing
Most law firm marketing and business development teams operate in silos, leading to an ad hoc, reactive approach, but shifting to a culture of proactive planning — beginning with comprehensive campaigns — can help firms effectively execute their broader business strategy, says Paul Manuele at PR Manuele Consulting.
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Opinion
The Big Issues A BigLaw Associates' Union Could Address
A BigLaw associates’ union could address a number of issues that have the potential to meaningfully improve working conditions, diversity and attorney well-being — from restructured billable hour requirements to origination credit allocation, return-to-office mandates and more, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.
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Opinion
It's Time For A BigLaw Associates' Union
As BigLaw faces a steady stream of criticism about its employment policies and practices, an associates union could effect real change — and it could start with law students organizing around opposition to recent recruiting trends, says Tara Rhoades at The Sanity Plea.
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How Calif. Justices' Prop 22 Ruling Affects The Gig Industry
The California Supreme Court's recent upholding of Proposition 22 clarifies that Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and other companies in the gig industry can legally classify their drivers as independent contractors, but it falls short of concluding some important regulatory battles in the state, says Mark Spring at CDF Labor.
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How Justices Upended The Administrative Procedure Act
In its recent Loper Bright, Corner Post and Jarkesy decisions, the U.S. Supreme Court fundamentally changed the Administrative Procedure Act in ways that undermine Congress and the executive branch, shift power to the judiciary, curtail public and business input, and create great uncertainty, say Alene Taber and Beth Hummer at Hanson Bridgett.