Food & Beverage

  • April 29, 2024

    Zoning Limits Cost Mich. Wineries $120M, Judge Told

    A group of wineries told a federal judge Monday that a Michigan township's zoning restrictions have caused the vintners to miss out on $120 million in profits and stifled their growth, while the township's lawyer said the damages ask is unreasonable and unwarranted.

  • April 29, 2024

    Calif. Judge OKs $1M Deal In Strawberry Pickers' Wage Suit

    A California federal court gave the first sign-off to a $1 million deal that would end hundreds of strawberry pickers' claims that they were forced to work at unsafe speeds for allegedly little pay.

  • April 29, 2024

    Fruit Co. Must Face Pollution Suit From Tribe, Enviro Groups

    A Michigan federal judge has ruled a fruit and vegetable company can't escape claims it unlawfully contaminated nearby wetlands with polluted wastewater discharges, saying the company's defense essentially ignores the primary theory of liability put forward by a Native American tribe and two environmental groups. 

  • April 29, 2024

    StarKist Looks To Block Guilty Plea From Price-Fixing Trial

    StarKist and its South Korea-based owner are urging a California federal judge to reject a bid by packaged tuna buyers to bring evidence of the tuna company's guilty plea into the civil litigation, arguing that the plea agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice is irrelevant to a trial over claims that major tuna brands conspired to keep prices high.

  • April 29, 2024

    Turkey Cos. Seek Swift Appeal Of Burford's Ability To Sue

    Some of the country's largest turkey producers have asked an Illinois federal court for permission to immediately appeal a March ruling that allows a Burford Capital investment unit to pursue price-fixing allegations against them, arguing the Seventh Circuit should weigh in on whether the investor is permitted to bring such a claim.

  • April 29, 2024

    High Court To Decide Jurisdiction In Dog Food Label Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to take up an appeal from Royal Canin USA Inc. and Nestle Purina PetCare Co. in a dispute over whether a suit alleging they falsely represent their products as prescriptions belongs in state or federal court.

  • April 29, 2024

    Justices To Weigh RICO Injury Scope In CBD Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear a case brought by a trio of CBD companies asking the justices to establish whether a plaintiff can bring a personal injury claim under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act.

  • April 26, 2024

    Law360 Reveals Titans Of The Plaintiffs Bar

    In the past year, plaintiffs have won settlements and judgments for millions and billions of dollars from companies such as Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, Facebook and Fox News, with many high-profile cases finally wrapping up after years of fighting. Such cases — involving over-the-top compensation packages, chemical contamination, gender discrimination and data mining — were led by attorneys whose accomplishments earned them recognition as Law360's Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar for 2024.

  • April 26, 2024

    DOL Solidifies H-2A Protections For Foreign Farmworkers

    Foreign farmworkers working in the U.S. under the H-2A temporary visa program will now have enhanced protections to advocate for better working conditions without fear of retaliation under a final U.S. Department of Labor rule unveiled Friday.

  • April 26, 2024

    Wash. Judge Doubts He Can Block Kroger Merger

    A Washington state judge expressed "serious doubts" Friday he could block the $24.6 billion Kroger and Albertsons merger but declined to dismiss the state attorney general's lawsuit seeking to derail the deal, saying that the state still had more narrowly tailored remedies to address its anti-competition concerns.

  • April 26, 2024

    New FDA Official Talks Food Safety After Formula Outbreak

    James "Jim" Jones, the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration deputy commissioner for human food, was named to the role last year in the wake of an infant formula contamination outbreak. He sat down this week with Law360 to discuss what he's learned from his first months in the position.

  • April 26, 2024

    Frito-Lay Subcontractors Hit With $72M Factory Death Verdict

    A Dallas County jury has awarded a nearly $72 million verdict to the family of a man who plunged to his death at a Frito-Lay facility, finding that his employer and another subcontractor working at the facility were liable for the accident.

  • April 26, 2024

    Ex-Walmart Worker Files Ill. BIPA Suit Over Fingerprint Scans

    Walmart is violating biometric privacy laws by gathering employees' fingerprint scans when clocking in for shifts and sharing them with various third-party identity service providers without written consent, a former employee alleges in a putative class suit.

  • April 26, 2024

    Cannabis Retailer MedMen Files For Bankruptcy In Canada

    American cannabis retailer MedMen Enterprises Inc. said Friday that it had filed for bankruptcy in Canada, citing CA$561.5 million ($410.4 million) of liabilities months after the company's stock plunged and executives departed despite having sold off assets to raise money.

  • April 26, 2024

    50 Cent's GC Beats Wiretap Claim In Liquor Feud, For Now

    A Manhattan judge on Friday threw out a claim that the general counsel for rapper Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson illegally recorded a former Beam Suntory Inc. sales contractor during an embezzlement investigation, but allowed the consultant to revise his pleading.

  • April 26, 2024

    TTAB Says Expired 'Zima' TM Ends Cancellation Bid

    The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board has found that a petition to cancel a trademark for the drink Zima was no longer an issue since its owner, Molson Coors, let the registration on the product expire.

  • April 25, 2024

    Wendy's Beats Negligence Suit Over Drive-Thru Shooting

    Wendy's permanently defeated a negligence suit accusing it of failing to prevent the shooting of a man in December 2018 at its drive-through by not having adequate security guards, after an Illinois federal judge said Wednesday the burger chain couldn't have reasonably foreseen that the shooting would occur.

  • April 25, 2024

    FDA Decision Didn't Prejudice Would-Be Contractor, GAO Says

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office has denied a Virginia technology company's protest of the Food and Drug Administration's decision not to amend a digital communications support deal's performance period, saying the company didn't show it was competitively prejudiced by the decision.

  • April 25, 2024

    DOL Wage Trumps Local Pay Rate For FDA Contract, Board Rules

    An appeals board has denied a nonprofit's request for increased payment for janitorial services at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's headquarters following a change to the local county's minimum wage, saying the government was only required to pay the federal prevailing wage.

  • April 25, 2024

    Judge Questions Equal Payouts In $9M White Castle BIPA Deal

    An Illinois federal judge said Thursday he would grant preliminary approval to a $9.4 million settlement resolving a class action targeting White Castle's biometric timekeeping practices but added he wants more information on why all employees are poised to receive the same recovery regardless of how long they worked there.

  • April 25, 2024

    Deals Rumor Mill: Paramount, Salesforce, ShipBob

    Sony and Apollo Global Management may make a joint bid for Paramount Global, Salesforce Inc. has abandoned its effort to potentially buy data-management software company Informatica, and e-commerce fulfillment service provider ShipBob Inc. is readying an IPO. Here, Law360 breaks down these and other notable deal rumors from the past week.

  • April 25, 2024

    Feds' Pacific Sardine Management Plan Lacking, Judge Says

    The government's plan to protect Pacific sardines, an important food source for many marine species, fell short in a number of ways, including by failing to prevent overfishing, a California federal judge has ruled.

  • April 25, 2024

    Former Fuel Co. GC, CEO Must Pay $750K In SEC Fraud Suit

    The former general counsel and CEO of an Arizona fuel company accused of conspiring to defraud investors out of $30 million have reached consent orders with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and agreed to pay nearly $750,000 in fines, disgorgement and restitution.

  • April 25, 2024

    Panel Backs Gas Station's Win In Drunken Driving Death Suit

    An Ohio state appeals court has upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit over the deaths of two young men in a drunken driving crash, saying the alcohol seller can't be liable under Ohio's Dram Shop Act because the purchaser wasn't the driver.

  • April 24, 2024

    Whole Foods May Have Retaliated In BLM Case, 1st Circ. Says

    Whole Foods hasn't yet proven that its firing of a worker who wore a Black Lives Matter mask to work wasn't retaliatory, the First Circuit said in an opinion unsealed Wednesday, ruling that there is a "genuine dispute" as to whether she was terminated for protected conduct.

Expert Analysis

  • Employer Takeaways From 2nd Circ. Equal Pay Ruling

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    The Second Circuit 's recent decision in Eisenhauer v. Culinary Institute of America reversed a long-held understanding of the Equal Pay Act, ultimately making it easier for employers to defend against equal pay claims brought under federal law, but it is not a clear escape hatch for employers, say Thelma Akpan and Katelyn McCombs at Littler.

  • General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI

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    With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.

  • Rite Aid's Reasons For Ch. 11 Go Beyond Opioid Suits

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    Despite opioid-related lawsuits being the perceived reason that pushed Rite Aid into bankruptcy, the company's recent Chapter 11 filing reveals its tenuous position in the pharmaceutical retail market, and only time will tell whether bankruptcy will right-size the company, says Daniel Gielchinsky at DGIM Law.

  • Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.

  • Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD

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    Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • How Fla. Bankruptcy Ruling May Affect Equity Owners

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    A Florida bankruptcy court’s recent ruling in Vital Pharmaceuticals — which rejected the Third Circuit’s Majestic Star decision that determined a bankrupt corporation’s flow-through status was not protected by the automatic stay — may significantly affect how equity owners can mitigate the impact of flow-through structures in bankruptcy, say Eric Behl-Remijan and Natasha Hwangpo at Ropes & Gray.

  • M&A Ruling Buoys Loss Calculation Method, R&W Insurance

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    The recent Southern District of New York decision in Taylor Precision Products v. Larimer affirms the use of EBITDA as a basis to quantify loss, highlighting the potential shortcomings of a traditional seller indemnity compared to representation and warranty insurance, say Mark Schwartz at Lockton, and William O’Neil and Gretchen Scavo at Winston & Strawn.

  • How Consumer Complaints Can Help Companies

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    As seen most recently in Zoom's terms of service controversy, consumer complaints — despite initially seeming troubling for companies — can offer businesses the opportunity to identify, tackle and resolve budding challenges before those challenges escalate into larger issues, say Meghan Stoppel and Hannah Cornett at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Opinion

    Life Sciences Regulators Must Write Cloud-Specific Guidance

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    As cloud services continue to revolutionize the life sciences industry's ability to conduct regulated activities, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulators should update their data management policies to clearly support and encourage use of cloud technology, say Nate Brown and Marlee Gallant at Akin.

  • Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence

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    Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Analyzing The Legal Ripples Of The EPA's PFAS Regulation

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    As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency makes major moves on its pledge to regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, the developing body of PFAS regulation will lead to an increase in litigation, and personal injury and product liability claims, say attorneys at Gordon & Rees.

  • The Growing Need For FLSA Private Settlement Rule Clarity

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    A Pennsylvania district court's recent ruling in Walker v. Marathon Petroleum echoes an interesting and growing trend of jurists questioning the need for — and legality of — judicial approval of private Fair Labor Standards Act settlements, which provides more options for parties to efficiently resolve their claims, says Rachael Coe at Moore & Van Allen.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: The UK

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    Following Brexit, the U.K. has adopted a different approach to regulating environmental, social and governance factors from the European Union — an approach that focuses on climate disclosures by U.K.-regulated entities, while steering clear of the more ambitious objectives pursued by the EU, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Boeing Opinion Strikes Blow Against Overpayment Theory

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    The Fifth Circuit's decision in Earl v. Boeing Co. casts doubt on consumers' standing to bring claims of overpayment for products later revealed to have defects — and suggests that it's more likely that those products would have been removed from the market, driving up the price of alternatives, say attorneys at Bush Seyferth.

  • Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes

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    Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.

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