Food & Beverage

  • 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.

  • April 14, 2025

    Kellanova Must Arbitrate Bakery Workers' Promotion Dispute

    A Michigan federal judge has ordered Kellanova to arbitrate a wage dispute with a Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers & Grain Millers union local, ruling that the case hinges on the terms of an expired contract that calls for arbitration of unresolved grievances.

  • April 12, 2025

    Baking Chemicals Co. Wins $7.25M In Trade Secrets Trial

    A Pennsylvania jury on Friday awarded $7.25 million to a baking chemicals maker that claimed a former partner-turned-rival and two ex-employees stole trade secrets, following a weeklong trial in Pittsburgh's federal court.

  • April 11, 2025

    Patent Exec Hasn't Yet Proven Defamation In Baker Botts Case

    A Florida federal judge held Friday that it's too early to rule in favor of a patent licensing company executive accusing a Baker Botts LLP attorney of defamation, ruling that there are still "material facts in dispute."

  • April 11, 2025

    Trust Co. Can Email Docs In $149M Ukraine Award Dispute

    A Manhattan federal judge has granted Madison Pacific Trust Ltd.'s request to let it serve a petition for the enforcement of a $149 million arbitral award against the founders of a Ukrainian grain exporter via email, finding that their physical whereabouts are unknown.

  • April 11, 2025

    USDA, White Farmers Clash Over Disaster Aid Remedy

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture and a group of white Texas farmers are clashing over how the agency should remedy its allegedly unlawful prioritization of minority groups as a part of a distribution scheme for disaster assistance and pandemic relief programs.

  • April 11, 2025

    Software Co. Freshworks Scores Early Win In IPO Suit

    Software company Freshworks Inc. has gotten an early win on proposed investor class action claims that it failed to disclose decelerating revenue and billings growth as it went public in 2021.

  • April 11, 2025

    3rd Circ. Urged To Rethink Teamsters Fund's Win In $39M Row

    Affiliates of a bankrupt dairy business are urging the Third Circuit to hold a full court rehearing on its split panel decision that a Teamsters union pension fund can sue them to enforce a $39 million settlement, arguing the law "simply does not say" what the majority ruled it says.

  • April 11, 2025

    Arbitration Pacts Doom Domino's Drivers' Wage Collective

    A proposed collective action accusing Domino's Pizza of refusing to properly reimburse drivers for delivery expenses cannot proceed, the company told a Michigan federal court, saying there are no identifiable drivers to take up the case who aren't subject to an arbitration agreement.

  • April 10, 2025

    Calif. Rep's Bill Would Shield Farmers From Retaliatory Tariffs

    A California congressman on Thursday introduced a bill in the U.S. House aiming to curb the authority of President Donald Trump to impose new or additional duties on agricultural products from countries that are major agricultural trade partners with the United States.

  • April 10, 2025

    Alaskan Tribes Sue Army Corps Over Gold Mining Project

    The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers failed to adequately evaluate the effects of a suction dredge mining project for gold on a "pristine" Alaskan estuary, Native American tribes said in a lawsuit filed Thursday.

  • April 10, 2025

    Bakery Sellers Seek $2M Award From Buyer After Deal Sours

    Three companies have hit a bakery investment firm with a lawsuit over its sale of a string of Koffee Kup bakeries in Northeastern states, saying in a Connecticut federal court brief that they are due $2 million under an arbitration award.

  • April 10, 2025

    Chinese Tea Chain Serves Up IPO Plans In Rocky Market

    Chinese teahouse company Chagee Holdings Ltd., represented by Davis Polk & Wardwell LLP and underwriters' counsel Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP, on Thursday unveiled plans for an estimated $396 million initial public offering, joining a volatile IPO market rocked by uncertainty over President Donald Trump's tariff policy.

  • April 10, 2025

    3rd Circ. Judge At 'Crossroads' In H-2A Farmworker Row

    A Third Circuit judge suggested Thursday that the outcome of a case alleging that a Garden State farm violated provisions of a temporary guest worker program hinges on whether it's an immigration matter or a labor dispute, a determination that should be made before the panel can view it through a post-Jarkesy lens.

  • April 10, 2025

    Amazon CEO, Bain Take Spotlight Amid Recent Rumors

    Private equity firm Bain Capital agrees to purchase Sizzling Platter for $1 billion, SC Capital is eyeing British data center group Global Switch in a potential $5 billion deal, and Amazon CEO Andy Jassy addresses a rumored Amazon bid. Here, Law360 breaks down these and other rumor-related developments from the past week.

  • April 10, 2025

    Judge Approves Sale Of Ex-Riverfront CFO's Detroit Bar

    A former chief financial officer who pled guilty to stealing tens of millions of dollars from a Detroit nonprofit got a federal judge's approval Wednesday to sell his nightclub as he faces paying a $45.5 million restitution bill.

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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