Food & Beverage

  • September 11, 2026

    DOJ Gets Final OK For Agri Stats Antitrust Settlement

    A Minnesota federal court has granted final approval to the U.S. Department of Justice's settlement with Agri Stats, with the company agreeing to stop offering the sales reports for meat processors at the center of the case.

  • September 11, 2026

    Abbott Can Move Baby Formula Death Suit Out Of Illinois

    An Illinois state appeals court on Friday ordered the dismissal of a product liability suit alleging Abbott Laboratories' Similac formula caused a premature Florida infant's fatal case of necrotizing enterocolitis, finding the case belongs in Florida rather than Chicago's Cook County.

  • September 11, 2026

    Patent Co. Says 'Prejudicial Errors' Merit New DoorDash Trial

    A patent-holding company has asked a Texas federal judge to order a new infringement trial against DoorDash and grant it a favorable judgment on its enablement defense, arguing that the food delivery giant's conduct led to "prejudicial errors."

  • September 11, 2026

    Solar Contractor, CBRE Unit Blamed In $1B LA Building Fire

    Lineage Inc., which owns a massive cold-storage facility in Los Angeles that caught fire in June, has sued a commercial solar operator and a CBRE Group subsidiary in California state court, blaming the incident on their negligence in reenergizing a defective rooftop solar array before critical safety checks were completed. 

  • September 11, 2026

    Mich. Township Seeks To Pause Winery Events Fight

    A northern Michigan township asked a federal judge to dismiss or stay a lawsuit brought by several local wineries that claim the township is attempting to bypass a previous court ruling to block them from hosting special events, saying the township's appeal of that earlier ruling remains pending in the Sixth Circuit.

  • September 11, 2026

    ITC Probing Imported Pizza Boxes For Possible Harms

    The U.S. International Trade Commission said Friday it is investigating whether corrugated pizza boxes imported into the country from China, Malaysia and Turkey that are being allegedly sold at unfair prices are harming U.S. domestic industry.

  • September 11, 2026

    Red Robin Can't Pause Wage Suit During Arbitration Push

    A Colorado federal court has refused to pause a wage lawsuit against a burger chain while the company pursues arbitration against most of the workers who sued it, finding no legal basis to halt proceedings against the one named worker who never agreed to arbitrate his claims.

  • September 11, 2026

    Ore. Court OKs Recouping Tax After Farm Break Revoked

    A county assessor in Oregon was right to recoup property taxes for past years after revoking a tax break for farm use, the state tax court ruled, finding the land failed to meet past income requirements for the designation.

  • September 10, 2026

    Cold Brew Equipment Co. Owner Must Hand Over Assets

    The founder and minority owner of a cold brew equipment company has agreed to hand over passwords, customer information, software and other company assets to its majority owner in a dispute over control of the business following a 2024 acquisition, according to a Colorado state court filing.

  • September 10, 2026

    Gig Cos.' Suit Over NYC Tip Law Paused For 2nd Circ. Review

    A New York federal judge has paused a suit by DoorDash and Uber challenging New York City's delivery tipping laws, putting the case on hold while the Second Circuit considers the companies' First Amendment appeal.

  • September 10, 2026

    China Aims For Early Rollout Of $30B US Tariff Cut Package

    China and the U.S. are working toward implementing a package of tariff reductions for $30 billion worth of goods that cross the countries' borders, a Chinese official for the Ministry of Commerce said during a press briefing Thursday.

  • September 10, 2026

    Mass. Panel Says Liquor Board Can Tailor Licensing Penalty

    A Massachusetts appellate court held Thursday that revoking a wholesale alcohol supplier's license for violating common ownership rules was not mandatory, finding that state law gives regulators leeway to impose a lesser punishment. 

  • September 10, 2026

    Canada Mulls Canned Vegetable Import Quota For US, Others

    Imports of canned vegetables from the U.S. into Canada may be subject to a broader tariff rate quota after a Canadian tribunal found the American products are among those harming Canada's domestic industry following a surge in such imports in 2025.

  • September 09, 2026

    Sugar Buyers Want Paul Weiss DQ'd From Price-Fixing MDL

    Hershey, J.M. Smucker and other food makers urged a Minnesota federal judge Tuesday to disqualify Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP from representing Domino Foods in sugar price-fixing multidistrict litigation, arguing the firm is conflicted out because it saw their confidential sugar-purchasing data when it was being considered as plaintiffs' counsel.

  • September 09, 2026

    Bikini Barista Owner Owes Class $1.8M Over Wage Violations

    The owner of Seattle-area "bikini barista" company Beehive Espresso is on the hook for more than $1.8 million after a Washington state judge found him liable for numerous pay violations, including tip theft, limits on moonlighting, improper sick leave accounting and failure to pay minimum wage.

  • September 09, 2026

    Conn. Farmers Can't Point To Hemp Law Injury, Judge Says

    Connecticut hemp farmers and processors failed to overturn state laws that cracked down on the sale of intoxicating hemp products, after a federal judge ruled that they failed to show how they were concretely harmed by statutes that do not directly regulate cultivation.

  • September 09, 2026

    Judge Denies Validity Redo After $38M Verdict Partly Revived

    Bottler Shibuya Hoppmann and dairy company HP Hood are not entitled to a new trial on the validity of Steuben Foods' bottle sterilization patents after the Federal Circuit partly revived a $38 million infringement verdict against them, a Delaware federal judge said Wednesday.

  • September 09, 2026

    Wine Label Makers Spar Over Injunction In Trade Secret Fight

    A California federal judge on Wednesday weighed whether to grant a wine label company's motion for a preliminary injunction against rivals in a case accusing them of using trade secrets allegedly brought over by a former employee.

  • September 09, 2026

    Latest $1.5M Turkey Price-Fixing Deal Gets Early OK

    An Illinois federal judge Wednesday gave his initial sign-off to a $1.5 million deal Prestage Farms has inked to resolve certain buyers' claims in sprawling turkey price-fixing antitrust litigation.

  • September 09, 2026

    General Mills, Mars Allege Sugar Price-Fixing Scheme

    General Mills, Kellanova, Mars and Little Debbie maker McKee Foods are suing several major U.S. sugar producers in Illinois federal court, accusing them of conspiring to inflate granulated sugar prices for years by secretly sharing sensitive pricing, sales and supply information through an intermediary.

  • September 09, 2026

    Rise Brewing Urges Justices To Let Juries Weigh TM Strength

    RiseandShine Corp. urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to reject what it called the Second Circuit's outlier rule allowing judges to decide the strength of a trademark, arguing in its opening merits brief that the question belongs to juries because it hinges on how ordinary consumers perceive a mark.

  • September 09, 2026

    5-Hour Energy Rival Takes Antitrust Fight To 6th Circ.

    A rival of 5-Hour Energy is taking its beef with the energy shot maker to the Sixth Circuit after a Michigan federal judge refused to revive its claims that the company was keeping competitors out of the market by inking deals that require its products be displayed at checkout counters.

  • September 09, 2026

    Aramark Worker Fights To Keep Parent Company In Wage Suit

    A Seattle concessions supervisor has pushed back against a food services company's bid to exit from a wage and hour lawsuit, arguing in Washington federal court that the company's centralized control over employee handbooks, payroll, human resources and scheduling policies is enough to hold it liable as a joint employer under state wage law.

  • September 09, 2026

    US Bans Canadian Alcohol, Motorcycles After Tariff Retaliation

    President Donald Trump continued the U.S. trade offensive against Canada after its northern neighbor's retaliatory tariffs went into effect, announcing a ban on Canadian imports of certain alcohol, dairy products and motorcycles starting this month.

  • September 08, 2026

    5th Circ. Nixes Bulk Of NLRB Order In Starbucks Threats Case

    The Fifth Circuit has declined to enforce the bulk of a National Labor Relations Board decision finding Starbucks unlawfully threatened workers with reduced store hours and a hiring freeze in response to a unionization campaign but said one manager unlawfully threatened workers' health and leave benefits.

Expert Analysis

  • 3 AI Adoption Mistakes GCs Should Avoid

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    The pressure in-house legal teams face to quickly adopt artificial intelligence tools, combined with budget constraints and the need to evaluate a crowded market of options, sets the stage for implementation mistakes that are often difficult to undo, says former 23andMe general counsel Guy Chayoun.

  • Series

    Playing Basketball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My grandfather used to say "I wear your jersey" as shorthand for wholly committing to support someone with loyalty and integrity — ideals that have shaped my life on the basketball court and in legal practice, says Tracy Schimelfenig at Schimelfenig Legal.

  • AG Watch: Reconciling 2 Maryland Data Privacy Statutes

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    In-house counsel should map the interplay between the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act's strictly necessary standard to deliver a requested service, and the Protection From Predatory Pricing Act's exemption of consent-based pricing within loyalty programs, before the state attorney general begins enforcement on the latter in October, says Erek Barron at Mintz.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Georgia Court Has Business On Its Mind

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    Thanks to recent legislation, the Georgia State-wide Business Court will soon offer business litigants greater access to the court than ever before, further enhancing the court's emphasis on efficiency, predictability and accessibility for sophisticated commercial disputes, says former GSBC judge Walt Davis at Jones Day.

  • 4 Emerging Approaches To AI Protective Order Language

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    Over the last year, at least five federal district courts have issued or analyzed specific protective order provisions restricting the use of generative artificial intelligence platforms with protected materials, establishing that proactive AI-specific provisions are now standard practice and demonstrating that no single model works for every case, says Joel Bush at Kilpatrick.

  • 1st Surveillance Pricing Law In Md. Reflects Broader Scrutiny

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    A new law will make Maryland the first state to target data-driven or surveillance-based price manipulation, highlighting increased scrutiny from federal and state enforcement agencies and policymakers as they consider whether new laws are required to regulate dynamic pricing, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Heppner Ruling Left AI Privilege Risk For Lawyers Unresolved

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    While a New York federal judge’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Heppner resolved a privilege question surrounding client-side artificial intelligence use, it did not address how to mitigate the risks that can arise when confidential information enters the operative context of an AI system used by an attorney, says Jianfei Chen at Quarles & Brady​​​​​​​.

  • The Ethics And Practicalities Of Representing AI Agents

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    With autonomous artificial intelligence agents now able to take action without explicit instructions from — or the awareness of — their human owners, the bar must confront whether existing frameworks like informed consent and client privilege will be sufficient on the day an AI agent calls seeking counsel, say attorneys at Morrison Cohen.

  • Safeguarding RWI Coverage As Materiality Focus Persists

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    As first-quarter broker claims reports reveal that materiality disputes remain a key driver of representations and warranties insurance claims, the scarce case law in this area indicates that including a materiality scrape provision in an RWI policy may aid policyholders with recovery, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Series

    Speed Jigsaw Puzzling Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My passion for speed puzzling — I can complete a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle in under 50 minutes — has sharpened my legal skills in more ways than one, with both disciplines requiring patience, precision and the ability to keep the bigger picture in mind while working through the details, says Tazia Statucki at Proskauer.

  • 2 AI Snafus Show Why Attys Can't Outsource Judgment

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    The recent incident involving Sullivan & Cromwell where citations in a filed motion were fabricated by artificial intelligence, as well as a punitive ruling from the Sixth Circuit in U.S. v. Farris, demonstrate that the obligation to supervise AI has belonged and always will belong to lawyers, says John Powell at the Kentucky School Boards Association.

  • Series

    Playing Magic: The Gathering Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The competitive card game Magic: The Gathering offers me a training ground for the strategic thinking skills crucial to litigation, challenging me to adapt to oft-updated rules, analyze text as complicated as any statute and anticipate my opponent’s next moves, says Christopher Smith at Lash Goldberg.

  • Improving Well-Being In Law, 10 Years After Landmark Study

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    An important 2016 study revealed significant substance abuse and mental health issues among lawyers, and while the findings helped normalize the conversation around these topics, a decade later, structural change is still needed, says Denise Robinson at PLI.

  • How To Gear Up For Trump's Pharma Tariffs

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    President Donald Trump's proclamation establishing tariffs on certain pharmaceutical products holds a few areas of ambiguity that companies should review and prepare for before the tariffs come into effect later this year, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • How Food, Beverage Claims May Preview Cosmetic Litigation

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    Class action litigation targeting cosmetics and personal care products is accelerating, with a playbook that comes from the food and beverage industry — and the defenses that succeeded, and failed, in past class actions offer a critical road map for beauty and personal care brands, say attorneys at Crowell.

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