Food & Beverage

  • April 17, 2025

    7-Eleven Parent Floats Refreshed Board With 4 New Nominees

    Japan's Seven & i Holdings Co. on Thursday proposed a refreshed slate of directors and reaffirmed its commitment to pursuing both internal reforms and a potential acquisition by Canada's Alimentation Couche-Tard.

  • April 17, 2025

    'Moonshine' Fudge Maker Must Pay Fees For Failed IP Claims

    The maker of "Chocolate Moonshine" fudge may have won a trade secrets case against his ex-wife and her new chocolate company, but he must pay the defendants more than $174,000 in attorney fees and costs for his unsuccessful trademark and copyright infringement claims.

  • April 17, 2025

    Ex-Dole Employee Can't Swap Other Worker Into PAGA Suit

    A California trial court correctly prevented a former Dole employee from substituting himself in his Private Attorneys General Act case with another worker suing the company, a state appeals court ruled, saying the two workers didn't have much in common.

  • April 17, 2025

    Chinese Tea Chain Prices $411M US IPO Amid Trade Tension

    Chinese teahouse company Chagee Holdings Ltd., represented by Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and underwriters' counsel Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, on Thursday priced a $411 million initial public offering at the top of its range despite U.S.-China trade tensions.

  • April 16, 2025

    Pa. Poultry Farm's Slaughter Methods Deemed Trade Secrets

    The Pennsylvania Superior Court has ruled that an animal rights group cannot force a Lebanon County poultry farm to disclose its chicken slaughtering practices, with the court ruling that the materials sought were confidential trade secrets.

  • April 16, 2025

    Leprino Foods Granted Win In Whey Protein Dispute

    A Connecticut federal district court granted cheese giant Leprino Foods a summary judgment win Wednesday over a nutritional supplement company in a suit over a whey protein deal, holding that an alleged "implied in fact" supply agreement is unenforceable.

  • April 16, 2025

    Koch, Chicken Buyers Spar Over $75M Deal Challenge

    Restaurants challenging $75 million in settlements inked in the broiler chicken price-fixing litigation with Koch Foods Inc. and House of Raeford Farms Inc. told the Seventh Circuit the appeal should succeed because it includes more detail than a recently rejected challenge of a smaller deal with Simmons Foods Inc.

  • April 16, 2025

    Workers Hit Fast-Food Co. With Nicotine Fee Suit

    The parent company of popular fast-food chains Arby's, Sonic and Dunkin' has been hit with a proposed class action from workers alleging that the company's fee on the health plans of employees who self-disclosed using nicotine violated federal benefits law.

  • April 16, 2025

    Papa Gino's Sued For Allegedly Underpaying Delivery Drivers

    New England pizza chain Papa Gino's pays delivery drivers a lower tipped minimum wage while hindering their ability to earn gratuities, according to a proposed class action filed in Massachusetts state court.

  • April 16, 2025

    California Challenges Trump's Economic Emergency Tariffs

    The California state government filed suit Wednesday challenging President Donald Trump's recent use of a law that has allowed him to unilaterally impose broad and aggressive tariffs on imports entering the U.S.

  • April 15, 2025

    PepsiCo Sued Over Workers' Unpaid COVID Screenings

    A former machine operator is suing PepsiCo Inc. in Illinois federal court for wage theft, claiming he and others were never paid for the time they spent going through the company's mandatory COVID-19 safety processing that was conducted before each shift.

  • April 15, 2025

    Food Service Co. Can't Escape Tobacco Surcharge Suit

    A food service company can't dodge a proposed class action alleging it unlawfully charges tobacco users an additional fee to obtain health insurance, an Illinois federal judge ruled Tuesday, rejecting the company's assertion that federal benefits law doesn't require retroactive reimbursement for completing a cessation program.

  • April 15, 2025

    Microsoft, Okta Say Their Password Products Don't Infringe IP

    Microsoft Corp. and information technology service management company Okta Inc. asked a California federal judge Monday for declarations that their password-generating products don't infringe a San Francisco company's patent covering a method for issuing time-based, one-time passwords.

  • April 15, 2025

    Dow Says NJ Pollution Suit 'Classic' Case For Federal Court

    Dow Chemical Co. told a Third Circuit panel on Tuesday that the New Jersey attorney general's suit accusing it and other companies of causing widespread groundwater pollution through a product containing a likely cancer-causing compound belongs in federal court, arguing the product was developed for the federal government.

  • April 15, 2025

    9th Circ. Backs $272M Verdict For Monster In Bang Ad Case

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday affirmed a $272 million verdict for Monster Energy Co. in a false advertising case against defunct Vital Pharmaceuticals Inc. and its former CEO, rejecting a series of challenges to rulings that narrowed the evidence at trial.

  • April 15, 2025

    Dunkin' Franchise Owners In Mass. Settle Wage, OT Claims

    The owners of more than 60 Dunkin' franchises across the Bay State and a group of current and former store managers are finalizing a settlement of claims that the coffee chain flouted wage laws, according to a filing in Massachusetts federal court.

  • April 15, 2025

    McDonald's, Dunkin' Franchisees Resolve Child Labor Claims

    The owners of Dunkin' and McDonald's franchises in Massachusetts have reached settlements over allegations they violated the state's child labor laws, while a Subway franchise operator has been fined, according to a Tuesday press release.

  • April 14, 2025

    Herbalife Wins $1.55M For Unauthorized $20M Computer Deal

    A California federal jury on Friday awarded Herbalife International of America Inc. $1.55 million in damages from Eastern Computer Exchange after finding the computer equipment reseller deceptively concealed an order for millions of dollars in Dell computers that the dietary supplement company claims it never ordered.

  • April 14, 2025

    Giant Eagle Agrees To Settle Ex-Worker's ERISA Suit

    Grocery store chain Giant Eagle Inc. has reached a settlement with a former employee resolving a proposed Employee Retirement Income Security Act class action accusing the company of wasting millions of dollars of retirement plan participants' funds, according to a notice filed Monday.

  • April 14, 2025

    Bipartisan Trio Urges DOJ To Keep Antitrust Offices Open

    Top members of the Senate Judiciary Committee are urging the U.S. Department of Justice to rethink its plan to close the Antitrust Division's field offices in Chicago and San Francisco because of their "vital" role in antitrust enforcement.

  • April 14, 2025

    Chiquita Wants New Trial In $38M Paramilitary Case

    Chiquita has told the Eleventh Circuit that the landmark $38 million verdict in a bellwether case in multidistrict litigation accusing the company of paying Colombian right-wing paramilitaries was the product of numerous errors by the district court, including an instruction that improperly gave jurors a "watered-down causation standard."

  • April 14, 2025

    Avocado Oil Co. Says Purity Test Doesn't Support Label Suit

    Food company Sovena USA Inc. is looking to end a proposed class action accusing it of falsely labeling as "100% pure" its avocado oil that it allegedly diluted with "cheaper" seed oils, telling a California federal judge the suit lacks evidence and is part of a "baseless" litigation campaign meant to undermine the industry.

  • April 14, 2025

    Ore. Ex-Official Alleges Improper Firing Over Whiskey Scandal

    The former deputy director of Oregon's liquor and cannabis regulator has alleged in a lawsuit recently removed to federal court that he was wrongfully terminated in connection with a scandal in which agency officials were accused of pocketing rare whiskeys.

  • April 14, 2025

    FTC Joins DOJ In Targeting Anticompetitive Regulations

    The Federal Trade Commission launched a public inquiry Monday to look into reducing regulations that are hindering competition, following a similar move by the U.S. Department of Justice last month.

  • April 14, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Won't Allow Beer Co.'s 'Chicken Scratch' TM

    The Federal Circuit declined to disturb the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's refusal to register the mark "chicken scratch" for beer, affirming a finding that the proposed mark has a "similar commercial impression" to another mark already registered for restaurant services.

Expert Analysis

  • Rethinking Litigation Risk And What It Really Means To Win

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    Attorneys have a tendency to overestimate litigation risk before summary judgment and underestimate risk after it, but an eight-stage litigation framework can clarify risk at different points and help litigators reassess what true success looks like in any particular case, says Joshua Libling at Arcadia Finance.

  • How DOGE's Bite Can Live Up To Its Bark

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    All signs suggest that the Department of Government Efficiency will be an important part of the new Trump administration, with ample tools at its disposal to effectuate change, particularly with an attentive Republican-controlled Congress, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Series

    Playing Rugby Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My experience playing rugby, including a near-fatal accident, has influenced my legal practice on a professional, organizational and personal level by showing me the importance of maintaining empathy, fostering team empowerment and embracing the art of preparation, says James Gillenwater at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Looking Back At 2024's Noteworthy State AG Litigation

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    State attorneys general across the U.S. took bold steps in 2024 to address unlawful activities by corporations in several areas, including privacy and data security, financial transparency, children's internet safety, and other overall consumer protection claims, say attorneys at Troutman Pepper.

  • Opinion

    No, Litigation Funders Are Not 'Fleeing' The District Of Del.

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    A recent study claimed that litigation funders have “fled” Delaware federal court due to a standing order requiring disclosure of third-party financing, but responsible funders have no problem litigating in this jurisdiction, and many other factors could explain the decline in filings, say Will Freeman and Sarah Tsou at Omni Bridgeway.

  • 5 Advertising Law Trends To Watch In 2025

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    Although advertisers are encouraged by the incoming Trump administration's focus on deregulation, this year could feel like wading through uncharted waters, and decreased federal government regulation may mean increased state regulation, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • 5 E-Discovery Predictions For 2025 And Beyond

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    In the year to come, e-discovery will be shaped by new and emerging trends, from the adoption of artificial intelligence provisions in protective orders, to the proliferation of emojis as a source of evidence in contemporary litigation, say attorneys at Littler.

  • NY Plastic Pollution Verdict May Not Bode Well For Other Suits

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    The dismissal of New York state's public nuisance complaint against PepsiCo over pollution of the Buffalo River with the company's single use plastic bottles may not augur well for similar lawsuits filed by Baltimore and Los Angeles County, although tort law varies from state to state, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

  • 2024 Was A Banner Year For Shareholder Activism

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    Shareholder activism campaigns in 2024 continued at an elevated pace globally, with activist investors exploiting valuation gaps and pushing aggressively for corporate governance reforms, including the ouster of many companies' chief executives, a trend that could continue once President-elect Donald Trump takes office, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • 7 Ways 2nd Trump Administration May Affect Partner Hiring

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    President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House will likely have a number of downstream effects on partner hiring in the legal industry, from accelerated hiring timelines to increased vetting of prospective employees, say recruiters at Macrae.

  • How Trump 2.0 May Change Business In Latin America

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    Companies in Latin America should expect to face more trade restrictions, tighter economic sanctions and enhanced corruption risks, as the incoming administration shifts focus to certain non-U.S. actors, most notably China, says Matteson Ellis at Miller & Chevalier.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Custodian Selection

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    Several recent rulings make clear that the proportionality of additional proposed custodians will depend on whether the custodians have unique relevant documents, and producing parties should consider whether information already in the record will show that they have relevant documents that otherwise might not be produced, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Surprise NC COVID Ruling Revises Reasonable Expectations

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    The North Carolina Supreme Court's recent finding in favor of policyholders in a suit for business interruption coverage due to COVID-19 shutdown orders runs contrary to most other state and federal courts' holdings on the issue, and may revitalize the reasonable expectations doctrine in the state, say attorneys at Goldberg Segalla.

  • Complying With Seasonal Product Labeling Requirements

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    Though the holiday season is in the rearview, many seasonal alcohol products remain in the market, and producers should ensure that their labels comply with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau's additional requirements for such products, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Series

    Exercising On My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While I originally came to the Peloton bike for exercise, one cycling instructor’s teachings have come to serve as a road map for practicing law thoughtfully and mindfully, which has opened opportunities for growth and change in my career, says Andrea Kirshenbaum at Littler.

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