Food & Beverage

  • December 09, 2025

    McDonald's Narrows Fired Worker's Sex Harassment Suit

    An ex-McDonald's worker failed to show she was fired for complaining that a co-worker sexually harassed her, an Illinois federal judge ruled, cutting claims from a proposed class action that the fast food giant often retaliated against workers who reported on-the-job sexual harassment.

  • December 09, 2025

    TTAB Rejection Of 'Kahwa' TM Reversed By Fed. Circ.

    The Federal Circuit on Tuesday reversed the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's rejection of a trademark registration for cafes called "Kahwa," saying just because it refers to a Central Asian green tea drink doesn't mean it's too generic to register as a trademark.

  • December 09, 2025

    Feds Push For Dismissal Of H-2A Wage Rule Suit

    The Trump administration asked a Florida federal judge to dismiss a suit challenging a Biden-era rule that boosted wages for foreign H-2A farmworkers, saying the case is moot after a Louisiana federal judge permanently blocked the rule nationwide.

  • December 08, 2025

    Baby Food Cos., Parents Clash On Heavy Metals MDL Experts

    A California federal judge heard arguments Monday over what expert witness evidence to allow in an upcoming trial over whether lead and arsenic in baby food from Gerber, Beech-Nut, Walmart and others contributed to ADHD and autism in children, as counsel from both sides kicked off a high-profile weeklong Daubert hearing.

  • December 08, 2025

    7-Eleven To Pay $4.5M Penalty Over Fla. Gas Station Buy

    7-Eleven Inc. and its Japanese parent company will pay a historic $4.5 million penalty to settle the Federal Trade Commission's allegations that the convenience store giant bought a Florida gas station without first informing the FTC, in violation of a 2018 agreement, the agency announced Monday.

  • December 08, 2025

    USDA Appealing Chilean Grape Fumigation Decision

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture is appealing a D.C. federal judge's decision vacating a 2024 rule change that allowed Chilean table grapes to be imported into the country even if they hadn't been fumigated with methyl bromide to kill pests.

  • December 08, 2025

    Inari Loses Fed. Circ. Bid To Save Corn Seed Patent Review

    The Federal Circuit Monday rejected Inari Agriculture's mandamus petition claiming the Patent Trial and Appeal Board used an unfairly high standard when denying its request for post-grant review of a Corteva Inc. unit's patent. 

  • December 08, 2025

    7th Circ. Questions Popcorn Shop Director's Retaliation Proof

    A Seventh Circuit panel appeared doubtful Monday that a former assistant research and development director for Chicago's iconic Garrett Popcorn Shops had enough direct evidence to try to convince a jury that lodging several federal food safety complaints led to her termination.

  • December 08, 2025

    Food Biz Groups Say Texas Food Label Law Unconstitutional

    Food industry trade groups on Friday said the recent "Make Texas Healthy Again Act" is unconstitutional since the government is forcing them to spread inaccurate information about the safety of products, adding that the law undermines the domestic regulation of food safety.

  • December 08, 2025

    EU Clears Mars' $36B Deal For Pringles Maker After Probe

    European competition enforcers approved snack food and candy giant Mars Inc.'s planned $35.9 billion purchase of Cheez-It and Pringles maker Kellanova, after an in-depth review found the move would not give the combined company too much leverage over retailers.

  • December 08, 2025

    Ex-Kellogg Worker's Suit Over 401(k) Fees Tossed For Good

    Kellogg escaped a former employee's proposed class action alleging the food manufacturer lost its workers millions in retirement savings because of excessive recordkeeping fees, after a Michigan federal judge ruled Monday that the allegations failed to state a claim for violating federal benefits law. 

  • December 08, 2025

    Ex-Josh Cellars President Fights Gibson Dunn Withdrawal Bid

    The former president of the company behind the Josh Cellars wine brand disputed Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP's version of events around his allegedly unpaid legal bills, saying he has questions about the reasonableness of the firm's charges, which must be arbitrated per his contract with the firm.

  • December 08, 2025

    4 Firms Lead $1.51B TC Transcontinental Packaging Deal

    Private equity-backed ProAmpac on Monday unveiled plans to acquire TC Transcontinental Packaging from TC Transcontinental in a $1.51 billion deal built by four law firms.

  • December 08, 2025

    Israeli Meat Co. Owes $35M For NC Facility, Court Told

    An Israeli venture capital-backed cultivated meat company breached a payment agreement for work on its inaugural facility in North Carolina and now owes the builder over $35 million, according to a lawsuit filed in North Carolina federal court.

  • December 08, 2025

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    The Delaware Chancery Court delivered a busy first week of December, featuring commercial disputes, post-closing merger and acquisition battles and renewed scrutiny of fiduciary conduct ranging from oil and gas investments to healthcare acquisitions. 

  • December 08, 2025

    Fired Worker Can't Get Justices To Mull Burden-Shifting Test

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned away a former restaurant worker who said she was unlawfully fired after a diabetic episode, declining her invitation to review a legal test used to determine the viability of employment bias claims.

  • December 08, 2025

    High Court Skips Christian Baker's Wedding Cake Battle

    The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to hear a Christian bakery owner's challenge to a California appeals court's decision that the business's policy against selling baked goods for same-sex ceremonies amounted to unlawful discrimination.

  • December 05, 2025

    NC Restaurants Hit With DOL Suit Over Pooled Tips

    Two North Carolina restaurants have, for four years, kept and pooled tips from front-of-house employees, while unlawfully distributing them to tip-ineligible, back-of-house employees in order to offset labor costs, the U.S. Department of Labor told a North Carolina federal court.

  • December 05, 2025

    COVID Loss Insurance Suit Trimmed, But Eateries Can Refile

    A North Carolina federal judge trimmed two of four claims in a COVID-related insurance coverage lawsuit filed by four restaurants against Cincinnati Insurance Co. after the insurer denied coverage for financial losses during the pandemic, but told the restaurants they could refile their complaint. 

  • December 05, 2025

    Federal Hemp Ban Enforcement Uncertain, Report Finds

    It is unclear how or whether federal agencies will enforce the federal ban on intoxicating hemp due to take effect in 11 months or apply the same hands-off approach that has governed marijuana, according to a recent report from the Congressional Research Service.

  • December 05, 2025

    Berry Grower Sues Norfolk Southern Over Drifting Weed Killer

    Toxic herbicides sprayed along sections of Norfolk Southern Railroad Co. track in Georgia are drifting into a commercial blueberry grower's adjacent property and damaging its crops, the grower said in a new federal suit. 

  • December 05, 2025

    Judge Won't Exit Agri Stats DOJ Case Over Clerk Connection

    A Minnesota federal judge refused to recuse himself from a case accusing Agri Stats of helping meat processors exchange sensitive information based on a clerk's past work on related cases, after refusing a similar request in a case over pork prices.

  • December 05, 2025

    FTC's Abandoned Pepsi Pricing Case Will Be Mostly Unsealed

    A New York federal court agreed to largely unseal the Federal Trade Commission's price discrimination complaint against PepsiCo Inc. despite protests from the beverage company and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce after enforcers dropped the case earlier this year.

  • December 05, 2025

    Nickel For Your Thoughts? Dems Want Plan For Ending Penny

    Top Democrats on banking and financial services committees are claiming the Trump administration has not formulated a sufficient plan for the transition away from the penny and are asking for a public plan by Dec. 12.

  • December 05, 2025

    Pa. Food Distributor Hit With Off-The-Clock Work Suit

    A Philadelphia-based food distribution company failed to pay employees for mandatory work done before and after their shifts, a proposed class action alleges.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Section 1983 Has Promise After End Of Nationwide Injunctions

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down the practice of nationwide injunctions in Trump v. Casa, Section 1983 civil rights suits can provide a better pathway to hold the government accountable — but this will require reforms to qualified immunity, says Marc Levin at the Council on Criminal Justice.

  • Series

    Playing Soccer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Soccer has become a key contributor to how I approach my work, and the lessons I’ve learned on the pitch about leadership, adaptability, resilience and communication make me better at what I do every day in my legal career, says Whitney O’Byrne at MoFo.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Learning From Failure

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    While law school often focuses on the importance of precision, correctness and perfection, mistakes are inevitable in real-world practice — but failure is not the opposite of progress, and real talent comes from the ability to recover, rethink and reshape, says Brooke Pauley at Tucker Ellis.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From ATF Director To BigLaw

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    As a two-time boomerang partner, returning to BigLaw after stints as a U.S. attorney and the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, people ask me how I know when to move on, but there’s no single answer — just clearly set your priorities, says Steven Dettelbach at BakerHostetler.

  • Influencer Marketing Partnerships Face Rising Litigation Risk

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    In light of recent class actions claiming that brands and influencers are misleading consumers with deceptive marketing practices — largely premised on the Federal Trade Commission's endorsements guidance — proactive compliance measures are becoming more important, say attorneys at Olshan Frome.

  • Mulling Worker Reclassification In Light Of No Tax On OT

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    The One Big Beautiful Bill Act's no-tax-on-overtime provisions provide tax relief for employees who regularly work overtime and are nonexempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act, but reclassifying employees may lead to higher compliance costs and increased wage and hour litigation for employers, says Steve Bronars at Edgeworth Economics.

  • 7 Ways Employers Can Avoid Labor Friction Over AI

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    As artificial intelligence use in the workplace emerges as a key labor relations topic in the U.S. and Europe, employers looking to reduce reputational risk and prevent costly disputes should consider proactive strategies to engage with unions, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Series

    Playing Baseball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing baseball in college, and now Wiffle ball in a local league, has taught me that teamwork, mental endurance and emotional intelligence are not only important to success in the sport, but also to success as a trial attorney, says Kevan Dorsey at Swift Currie.

  • What Cos. Must Note From EU's Delivery Hero-Glovo Ruling

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    The European Commission’s recent landmark decision in Delivery Hero-Glovo, sanctioning companies for the first time over a stand-alone no-poach cartel agreement, underscores the potential antitrust risks of horizontal cross-ownership between competitors, say lawyers at McDermott.

  • Ultra-Processed Food Claims Rely On Unproven Science

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    Plaintiffs' arguments that ultra-processed foods are responsible for the nationwide increase in certain chronic illnesses, though a novel approach to food-based personal injury claims, depend on theories that are still being tested, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • A Look At Trump 2.0 Antitrust Enforcement So Far

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    The first six months of President Donald Trump's second administration were marked by aggressive antitrust enforcement tempered by traditional structural remedies for mergers, but other unprecedented actions, like the firing of Federal Trade Commission Democrats, will likely stoke heated discussion ahead, says Richard Dagen at Axinn.

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Tips For Cos. From California Climate Reporting FAQ

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    New guidance from the California Air Resources Board on how businesses must implement the state's sweeping climate reporting requirements should help companies assess their exposure, understand their disclosure obligations and begin documenting good-faith compliance efforts, says Thierry Montoya at Frost Brown.

  • FDA's Hasty Policymaking Approach Faces APA Challenges

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    Though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has abandoned its usual notice-and-comment process for implementing new regulatory initiatives, two recent district court decisions make clear that these programs are still susceptible to Administrative Procedure Act challenges, says Rachel Turow at Skadden.

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