Food & Beverage

  • April 07, 2025

    Monthly Merger Review Snapshot

    The Federal Trade Commission sued to block GTCR BC's planned purchase of a medical device coatings company, the Justice Department's antitrust case against Live Nation survived a dismissal bid and a New York state court found a ski mountain deal hurt competition. Here, Law360 looks at the major merger review developments from March.

  • April 07, 2025

    Grocers Say Colo. AG Can't Fish For More 'No-Poach' Claims

    Kroger and Albertsons have accused Colorado's attorney general of going on a "fishing expedition" as they wait for a ruling on a claim that the grocers brokered an illegal "no-poach" agreement during a 2022 grocery store strike, in a motion asking a Colorado state court to quash document requests into a February strike.

  • April 07, 2025

    Ex-AG Lynch Exits $10B McDonald's Bias Case Ahead Of Trial

    Paul Weiss partner and former U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch is stepping away from McDonald's defense in Byron Allen's $10 billion bias lawsuit against the fast food giant, just months before the case is slated to go to trial.

  • April 07, 2025

    Fla. Judge Halts State's New Criminal Penalties For Migrants

    A Florida federal court has temporarily barred the Sunshine State from enforcing its new law criminalizing the entry of unauthorized migrants into the state, saying the law is likely preempted by the federal Immigration and Nationality Act.

  • April 07, 2025

    Goldberg Segalla Adds Hospitality, Retail Atty In Palm Beach

    Litigation firm Goldberg Segalla LLP said it has added retail and hospitality attorney Jason R. Hepperly to its office in West Palm Beach, Florida.

  • April 07, 2025

    Whole Foods To Settle Bonus Manipulation Suit

    Whole Foods has agreed to resolve a lawsuit claiming the grocery chain rigged an employee bonus program to reduce payouts to workers, according to a filing in D.C. federal court.

  • April 07, 2025

    Woody Allen Resolves Private Chef's Military Leave Suit

    Woody Allen struck a deal with his former private chef to resolve his suit accusing the filmmaker of abruptly firing him after he took time off to participate in military exercises as a member of the U.S. Army Reserve, a filing in New York federal court said.

  • April 04, 2025

    Bigelow Drinkers Overpaid 11% Due To 'USA' Label, Jury Told

    An expert testifying for a California class of R.C. Bigelow tea purchasers on Friday told a federal jury considering damages caused by false advertising claims that the class overpaid by 11.3%, or $3.26 million, due to a "Manufactured in the USA 100%" label the judge already found is deceiving.

  • April 04, 2025

    Bayer Wants Supreme Court To Review Roundup Litigation

    Bayer subsidiary Monsanto has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a Missouri jury's $1.2 million award to a man who claimed that Roundup weed killer caused his cancer, arguing that courts are split on whether federal law preempts state failure-to-warn claims like the claims in this case.

  • April 04, 2025

    House Dem Seeks Caffeine Warnings After Student Death

    Fast food chains and energy drink makers should be required to slap a "high caffeine" warning on certain beverages, a U.S. House Democrat said, announcing his intention to push such a bill while standing next to the parents of a University of Pennsylvania student who died after drinking a now-discontinued caffeinated drink.

  • April 04, 2025

    Starbucks Illegally Called Cops On Protest, NLRB Judge Says

    A National Labor Relations Board judge said Starbucks illegally called the police on organizers who leafleted a cafe in New York state, saying a manager called to suppress the protest and not to protect an organizer or get nonemployees off its property.

  • April 04, 2025

    Gibson Dunn Guides Hershey On $750M LesserEvil Buy

    Gibson Dunn-advised The Hershey Co. has agreed to acquire organic snack maker LesserEvil as the storied American confectioner continues to expand its portfolio into healthier snacking options, in a deal worth a reported $750 million.

  • April 03, 2025

    Optum, Express Scripts Want Judge Ousted From Opioid MDL

    Pharmacy benefit managers Optum and Express Scripts say the Ohio federal judge overseeing multidistrict opioid litigation should recuse himself because he "regularly communicates" with plaintiffs' attorneys in the litigation and is biased in favor of plaintiffs, according to a motion filed Wednesday.

  • April 03, 2025

    Bigelow CEO Denies Deliberately Misleading Tea Buyers

    The CEO of R.C. Bigelow repeatedly denied from a California federal court witness stand Thursday that her company deliberately misled consumers by labeling its teas as "manufactured in the USA 100%," saying that the phrase — which a judge has already found to be false — was well-intentioned.

  • April 03, 2025

    Website, Licensing Co. Settle Food Photo Copyright Suit

    The owner of a Las Vegas-based promotional website has agreed to settle its copyright dispute with a food photo licensing company that was previously criticized for so-called "copyright trolling."

  • April 03, 2025

    Nestlé, Other Parent Cos. Freed From Baby Food Metals MDL

    Overseas food giants Nestlé, Danone and Hero can exit a multidistrict litigation alleging baby food tainted with toxic metals caused children to develop autism, a California federal judge has ruled, but domestic subsidiaries who manufactured the products, such as Gerber, Nurture and Beech-Nut, must remain as defendants.

  • April 03, 2025

    7th Circ. Doubts SuperValu's Bid To Lower $22.5M Pension Bill

    The Seventh Circuit appeared Thursday to lean against a grocery store's effort to lower its $22.5 million union pension bill, with multiple judges challenging the employer's argument that stores sold months before a complete fund withdrawal should be excluded from its annual payment calculation.

  • April 03, 2025

    Baby Food Suit Must Face Trial Or Calif. Panel, 9th Circ. Told

    Plum Organics buyers urged the Ninth Circuit on Thursday to ask the California Supreme Court to clarify Golden State's deception-by-omission law, or reverse Plum's summary judgment win and send to trial the consumers' allegations that the baby-food-maker failed to disclose potential toxins in its baby food products.

  • April 03, 2025

    Kroger, Albertsons Argue Colo. No-Poach Suit Is Preempted

    Kroger Co. and Albertsons urged a Colorado federal judge to toss a worker's proposed class action claiming the grocers violated state antitrust law with a no-poach agreement, arguing Thursday that the claims are exclusively governed by federal labor law.

  • April 03, 2025

    ADM Faces Del. Derivative Suit Amid Accounting Fraud Claims

    Agricultural supply chain giant Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. was hit with a derivative complaint Thursday in Delaware's Court of Chancery, seeking damages from 17 current or former officers entangled in claims of years of fraudulent accounting and disclosures involving its nutrition segment.

  • April 03, 2025

    Tequila Maker Sues Acquirer In Del. Alleging Earnout Dodge

    A stockholder representative of tequila company 21Seeds Inc. has filed suit against Diageo North America, accusing the global liquor giant of undercutting post-acquisition earn-out targets for 21Seeds and putting the company "in mothballs" in a scheme to develop its own competing brand to the women-founded flavored tequila.

  • April 03, 2025

    NC Panel Scraps Subrogation Suit Over Misidentified Plaintiff

    An insurer for a Hardee's restaurant can't revive its subrogation suit over a 2019 fire after it accidentally misnamed itself in the complaint, the North Carolina Court of Appeals has ruled, finding the incorrectly identified plaintiff lacked standing to sue, and the complaint was a "nullity."

  • April 03, 2025

    Skadden Steers $1.5B Deal For SunnyD, Juicy Juice Maker

    Skadden-led Castillo Hermanos said Thursday it has agreed to purchase Brynwood Partners portfolio company Harvest Hill Beverage Co., whose brands include SunnyD, Juicy Juice and Little HUG, in a reported roughly $1.5 billion deal.

  • April 03, 2025

    Online Alcohol Shop, Distributor Near Deal In Antitrust Fight

    Online marketplace Provi and major wine distributor Southern Glazer's Wine have struck a deal in principle to resolve their dispute in an antitrust suit claiming the distributor conspired to stifle competition, according to a notice they have filed in Illinois federal court.

  • April 03, 2025

    Loan Fraud Plea Adds 6 Mos. To Pizzeria Owner's Prison Term

    The owner of a Boston-area pizzeria chain who was sentenced to 8½ years in prison in October for an alleged forced-labor scheme will spend an additional six months behind bars after pleading guilty to submitting false information to the U.S. Small Business Administration to obtain a loan.

Expert Analysis

  • Tracking The Uncertainty Of The FTC's Negative Option Rule

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    The fate of the Federal Trade Commission's final rule requiring businesses that utilize negative options to provide consumers with a simple cancellation method remains in limbo as it faces multiple legal challenges and the threat of possible congressional action looms, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • Series

    Gardening Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond its practical and therapeutic benefits, gardening has bolstered important attributes that also apply to my litigation practice, including persistence, patience, grit and authenticity, says Christopher Viceconte at Gibbons.

  • What New Calif. Law Means For Cannabis Lounges

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    With a recently enacted California law authorizing licensed cannabis retailers and microbusinesses to prepare and sell noncannabis food and beverages, the door opens for a more sustainable business model — but challenges related to costs and liability remain, says Tracy Gallegos at Duane Morris.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review

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    For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • A View Into NY's New Business Interruption Insurance Law

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    In response to businesses' economic challenges during the pandemic, New York recently allowed the issuance of stand-alone business interruption insurance coverage, and while pricing and insurer participation questions remain, the product stands to benefit business owners and the state economy, say attorneys at Saxe Doernberger.

  • How Boards And Officers Should Prep For New Trump Admin

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    In anticipation of President-elect Donald Trump's proposed tariffs and mass deportation campaign, company officers and board members should pursue proactive, comprehensive contingency planning to not only advance the best interests of the companies they serve, but to also properly exercise their fiduciary duty of care, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

  • California Supreme Court's Year In Review

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    Attorneys at Horvitz & Levy highlight notable decisions on major questions from the California Supreme Court's last term, including voter initiatives, hostile work environment and the economic loss rule.

  • Series

    Flying Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Achieving my childhood dream of flying airplanes made me a better lawyer — and a better person — because it taught me I can conquer difficult goals when I leave my comfort zone, focus on the demands of the moment and commit to honing my skills, says Ivy Cadle at Baker Donelson.

  • NLRB One-Two Punch Curbs Employer Anti-Organizing Tools

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    The National Labor Relations Board’s recent decisions in Siren Retail and Amazon, limiting employer speech about the impact of unionization and outlawing captive audience meetings, severely curtail employers' arsenal of tools to combat an organizing campaign — though this may soon change under a new administration, say attorneys at Benesch.

  • What Trump's Next Term May Mean For Biz Immigration

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    Leonard D'Arrigo at Harris Beach discusses the employment-based immigration policies businesses can potentially expect during President-elect Donald Trump’s second term, based on policies enacted during his first administration, statements made during his campaign and proposals in Project 2025.

  • Defense Insights As PFAS Consumer Product Claims Rise

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    Amid the recent proliferation of lawsuits seeking damages for failure to disclose the presence of PFAS in consumer products, manufacturers, distributors and consumer product companies should follow the science and consider a significant flaw in many of the filings, say attorneys at Farella Braun.

  • Series

    Circus Arts Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Performing circus arts has strengthened my ability to be more thoughtful, confident and grounded, all of which has enhanced my legal practice and allowed me to serve clients in a more meaningful way, says Bailey McGowan at Stinson.

  • Recent Listeria Outbreaks Hold Key Compliance Lessons

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    Listeria outbreaks in ready-to-eat foods from Boar's Head and other companies, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Food and Drug Administration responses to these outbreaks, should be closely evaluated from an overall compliance and risk management perspective by food manufacturers, retailers and industry investors, say attorneys at Kirkland.

  • 3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less

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    Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.

  • What Cos. Can Learn from Water Microplastics Class Actions

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    Class actions against companies whose bottled spring water allegedly contains microplastics, challenging claims such as "natural" and "100% spring water," seem to be drying up — but these cases serve as a good reminder to other businesses to review regulatory standards, and carefully vet plaintiff allegations at the outset, say attorneys at Keller and Heckman.

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