Food & Beverage

  • September 02, 2026

    Imported Feed Additive Is An Antibiotic, Trade Court Rules

    An animal health company's imports of a powdered feed additive should have entered the U.S. as a duty-free antibiotic, the U.S. Court of International Trade ruled Wednesday, undoing its previous classification as a preparation for animal feed from China that carried a 25% tariff.

  • September 02, 2026

    Vitamin Co. Can't Duck $1.4M Suit Over Ex-Owner's Tax Lien

    A vitamin company and its owners must face a suit by the federal government seeking $1.4 million stemming from a tax lien on a former owner's 20% interest in the company, a Connecticut federal judge ruled.

  • September 02, 2026

    Unilever, Gruns Sued Over Gummies Marketed As 'Sugar-Free'

    Unilever United States Inc. and Gruns Nutrition Inc. have been hit with class claims in New Jersey federal court alleging that they falsely labeled a line of gummies as "sugar-free" even though the nutritional supplements are sweetened with allulose, which the four suing consumers say is a sugar under federal regulations.

  • September 02, 2026

    Meijer Escapes Suit Over Health Plan Fee For Tobacco Users

    A Michigan federal judge tossed a worker's proposed class action alleging supercenter chain Meijer improperly charged workers a $20 per week tobacco surcharge through its health plan, ruling that concerns about improper notifications and allocations of the fee ultimately lacked teeth.

  • September 02, 2026

    2nd Circ. Faults NLRB's Dress Code Test In Starbucks Appeal

    The Second Circuit faulted the test the National Labor Relations Board applies to neutral dress codes that restrict workers' displays of union insignia, tossing Wednesday a ruling that Starbucks illegally barred workers at a Manhattan shop from wearing pro-union shirts. 

  • September 01, 2026

    McLane Model Keeps Drivers Overtime-Exempt, 9th Circ. Says

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Tuesday affirmed a lower court's ruling that truck drivers behind a proposed class action against food distributor McLane Foodservice Inc. are exempt from overtime pay, holding that the employees engaged in interstate commerce despite driving only in California.

  • September 01, 2026

    High Court Should Skip Ruby Tuesday Benefits Suit, SG Says

    The U.S. solicitor general has urged the Supreme Court to decline to consider a suit from former Ruby Tuesday executives alleging Regions Bank inadequately protected their retirement plan benefits that were liquidated in bankruptcy, saying the "idiosyncratic" nature of the dispute makes it a poor candidate for high court review.

  • September 01, 2026

    Dunkin' Worker Drops Suit Over AI Tip Inquiry Firing

    A Connecticut woman who alleged she was fired from a Dunkin' franchise after using artificial intelligence to research whether her employer could legally withhold tips has dropped her lawsuit, state court records show.

  • September 01, 2026

    Utz Sued Over Alleged Avocado Oil Chip Labeling Deception

    A putative class action filed Monday in Illinois federal court accuses Utz Brands of falsely marketing Boulder Canyon chips as cooked solely in avocado oil when scientific testing allegedly found the products contained other, cheaper vegetable oils.

  • September 01, 2026

    PepsiCo Sued Over 'Made With Avocado Oil' Chip Claims

    PepsiCo misleads customers into believing its Tostitos and Siete chips exclusively contain avocado oil, alleges a proposed class action filed Monday in New York federal court, referencing a recent UC Davis study that revealed the chips exhibited chemical profiles consistent with dilution of other oils.

  • September 01, 2026

    Monthly Merger Review Snapshot

    Paramount Skydance and Warner Bros. Discovery pressured state attorneys general challenging their merger to settle, the Federal Trade Commission successfully challenged a construction adhesives tie-up, state officials waded in against the NextEra-Dominion transaction, and Union Pacific Corp. and Norfolk Southern Corp. defended their combination under review by federal regulators.

  • September 01, 2026

    Congress Approves Bill Delaying Hemp Ban One Month

    The U.S. House of Representatives gave final approval Tuesday to a stopgap spending bill which includes language to delay implementation of a federal ban on products containing hemp-derived THC by one month.

  • September 01, 2026

    Nestlé Selling Supplements Business To PE Firm For $1B

    Nestlé SA said Tuesday that it will sell its mainstream vitamins, minerals and supplements business to Boston-based private equity firm Yellow Wood Partners for $1 billion, as the food and beverage giant sharpens its focus on businesses where it sees a competitive advantage.

  • September 01, 2026

    7 Brew's $143M Bid Tops Dutch Bros. In Salad Chain Ch. 11

    Coffee chain 7 Brew emerged as the top bidder for 73 of drive-thru chain Salad and Go's leases with a $143 million offer, besting competitor Dutch Bros.' stalking horse bid of $105 million for 65 leases, counsel for the debtor said at a hearing Tuesday in Texas.

  • September 01, 2026

    Instant Brands Judge Stops Delaware Suit Against Trustee

    A Texas bankruptcy judge on Tuesday told former Instant Brands owner Cornell Capital it must get his permission before suing the Instant Pot maker's litigation trustee, blocking a suit Cornell brought in Delaware Chancery Court in July.

  • September 01, 2026

    Image Search Technology Raises New Copyright Questions

    Technology that can uncover decade-old online images is testing the practical limits of copyright’s discovery rule, as courts weigh reasonable diligence against the reality that sophisticated search tools still miss infringement and defendants may no longer possess records proving authorization.

  • September 01, 2026

    Pot Co. CEO Says US Can't Recoup PPP Loan On Fraud Claim

    The former CEO of a group of California cannabis companies is urging a Southern District of California court to throw out the U.S. government's intervenor complaint seeking to recoup $2.5 million in PPP loans, saying that she doesn't live in the district and that the alleged fraud was not a factor in her companies getting the loans.

  • September 01, 2026

    CEO Says HR Co. Oversold Life Insurance Policy Terms

    The CEO of an Italian food company said a human resources provider duped him into signing up for a life insurance policy by making false promises about the plan's terms, according to a suit filed in Connecticut state court.

  • September 01, 2026

    Keurig Dr Pepper Selling Chobani Stake, Facility For $925M

    Keurig Dr Pepper Inc. said Tuesday it will sell its minority stake in Chobani and a Pennsylvania warehouse to the yogurt maker for $925 million, as the company looks to reduce debt and help fund spinoffs tied to its roughly $18 billion purchase of JDE Peet's. 

  • August 31, 2026

    Perrigo Settles Antitrust Suits Over Baby Formula Market

    Perrigo settled a couple of lawsuits filed in New York federal court that accused the company of cutting an anti-competitive agreement with Gerber to maintain a monopoly in the store-brand infant formula market, according to a letter filed Monday in a Brooklyn court.

  • August 31, 2026

    EPA Sued Over Herbicide Challenged As Likely Carcinogen

    Environmental organizations urged the Ninth Circuit on Friday to review the Trump administration's recent approval of a herbicide, trifludimoxazin, that critics describe as a likely carcinogen that could pose risks to wildlife and human health.

  • August 31, 2026

    Defamation Litigation Roundup: NYT, J&J, Azerbaijan

    In this month's review of defamation fights, Law360 details a jury verdict against The New York Times in a suit involving its reporting on a shooting in Alabama, and highlights a judge's decision to spare researchers from a suit by a Johnson & Johnson subsidiary over their talc research.

  • August 31, 2026

    SEC, FDA Enter Info-Sharing Pact To Bolster Enforcement

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and U.S. Food and Drug Administration are looking to bolster information-sharing related to FDA-regulated products in a bid to help each other in their respective oversight and compliance efforts, according to a three-year memorandum of understanding the agencies announced Monday.

  • August 31, 2026

    Oregon Packaging Law Survives Constitutional Challenge

    An Oregon federal judge ruled against a national trade association's challenge of an Oregon law that imposed recycling system costs on producers of packaging materials, rejecting arguments that it was unconstitutional.

  • August 31, 2026

    Kind Hit With False-Ad Suit Over 'ZEROg Added Sugar' Label

    Kind LLC violates food labeling regulations by selling snack bars containing the added monosaccharide allulose while prominently representing that they contain zero grams of added sugar, according to a proposed false advertising class action filed Friday in New York federal court. 

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    SNAP Rule Confusion Risks A Compliance Crisis

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    Recent Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program food restriction waivers pose a compliance crisis for legal practitioners advising food retailers, amid higher costs and lack of a coherent national standard, says Tyson-Lord Gray at Yeshiva University’s Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law.

  • Series

    Trivia Competition Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing trivia taught me to quickly absorb information and recognize when I've learned what I'm expected to know, training me in the crucial skills needed to be a good attorney, and reminding me to be gracious in defeat, says Jonah Knobler at Patterson Belknap.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: What Cross-Selling Truly Takes

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    Early-career attorneys may struggle to introduce clients to practitioners in other specialties, but cross-selling becomes easier once they know why it’s vital to their first years of practice, which mistakes to avoid and how to anticipate clients' needs, say attorneys at Moses & Singer.

  • Ariz. Uber Verdict Has Implications Beyond Ride-Hailing Cos.

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    When an Arizona federal jury in Jaylyn Dean v. Uber Technologies recently ordered Uber to pay $8.5 million to a woman who said she was sexually assaulted by her driver, their most important finding — that the driver was Uber's agent — could have huge consequences for future litigation involving platform-based businesses, says Michael Epstein at The Epstein Law Firm.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: Practical Use Cases In Chambers

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    U.S. Magistrate Judge Allison Goddard in the Southern District of California discusses how she uses generative artificial intelligence tools in chambers to make work more efficient and effective — from editing jury instructions for clarity to summarizing key documents.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: February Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four recent rulings from November and December, and identifies practice tips from cases involving the Missouri Merchandising Practices Act and Missouri unjust enrichment claims, the Illinois Biometric Information Privacy Act, the Class Action Fairness Act, and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act.

  • Series

    Trail Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Navigating the muddy, root-filled path of trail marathons and ultramarathons provides fertile training ground for my high-stakes fractional general counsel work, teaching me to slow down my mind when the terrain shifts, sharpen my focus and trust my training, says Eric Proos at Next Era Legal.

  • Opinion

    Justices' Monsanto Decision May Fix A Preemption Mistake

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    In Monsanto Co. v. Durnell, the U.S. Supreme Court will address whether federal law preempts states' label-based failure-to-warn claims when federal regulators have not required a warning — and its decision could correct a long-standing misinterpretation of a prior high court ruling, thus ending myriad meritless state law personal injury claims, says Lawrence Ebner at Capital Appellate.

  • What Rescheduling Means For Cannabis Labels, Marketing

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    The proposed reclassification of cannabis is expected to bring heightened scrutiny of labeling, advertising and marketing from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission, but the brands that tighten evidence, standardize operations and professionalize marketing controls now will see fewer surprises and better outcomes, say attorneys at Wilson Elser.

  • Malpractice Claim Assignability Continues To Divide Courts

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    Recent decisions from courts across the country demonstrate how different jurisdictions balance competing policy interests in determining whether legal malpractice claims can be assigned, providing a framework to identify when and how to challenge any attempted assignment, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin & Lodgen.

  • Series

    Teaching Logic Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Teaching middle and high school students the skills to untangle complicated arguments and identify faulty reasoning has made me reacquaint myself with the defined structure of thought, reminding me why logic should remain foundational in the practice of law, says Tom Barrow at Woods Rogers.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Resilience

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    Resilience is a skill acquired through daily practices that focus on learning from missteps, recovering quickly without internalizing defeat and moving forward with intention, says Nicholas Meza at Quarles & Brady.

  • Takeaways From The DOJ Fraud Section's 2025 Year In Review

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    Former acting Principal Deputy Chief Sean Tonolli of the U.S. Department of Justice's Fraud Section, now at Cahill Gordon, analyzes key findings from the section’s annual report — including the changes implemented to adapt to the new administration’s priorities — and lays out what to watch for this year.

  • New State Regs On PFAS In Products Complicate Compliance

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    The new year brought new bans and reporting requirements for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in half a dozen states — in many cases, targeting specific consumer product categories — so manufacturers, distributors and retailers must not only monitor their own supply chains, but also coordinate to ensure compliance, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Opinion

    Congress Should Lead On AI Policy, Not The States

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    There needs to be some limits on how far federal agencies go in regulating artificial intelligence systems, but Congress must not abdicate its responsibility and cede control over this interstate market to state and local officials, say Kevin Frazier at the University of Texas School of Law and Adam Thierer at the R Street Institute.

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