Food & Beverage

  • May 07, 2025

    Bimbo Bakeries Accused Of Misclassifying Drivers

    A pair of New England drivers who deliver Sara Lee and other branded baked goods said Tuesday in a proposed class action that Bimbo Bakeries violates Massachusetts law by treating them as independent contractors rather than employees.

  • May 06, 2025

    Whole Foods Beef Buyers Urge Judge Not To Wait On Justices

    An attorney for a group of consumers alleging Whole Foods falsely advertises its beef as free from antibiotics urged a California federal judge Tuesday not to wait for a pending U.S. Supreme Court ruling about class certification standards for uninjured members, saying that all the purchasers were injured because they paid inflated prices. 

  • May 06, 2025

    WeightWatchers Files Ch. 11 To Eliminate $1.15B Of Debt

    WeightWatchers filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Delaware bankruptcy court Tuesday, saying the restructuring will eliminate $1.15 billion in debt and allow the company to focus on its telehealth services.

  • May 06, 2025

    Mars Dog Food Has Dangerous Vitamin D Levels, Suit Says

    Mars Petcare's Pedigree brand of kibble is falsely marketed as a "100% Complete & Balanced" diet for pets despite containing dangerous levels of vitamin D that leads to vomiting and diarrhea in dogs, according to a recently filed proposed class action in Tennessee federal court.

  • May 06, 2025

    Judge Backs Kellanova In $330M Teamsters Pension Row

    An Illinois federal judge on Monday sided with Kellanova in considering cross-motions from the food company and a Teamsters pension fund to enforce and modify an arbitration award governing Kellanova's withdrawal liability after it ended its participation in the multiemployer pension plan in 2019.

  • May 06, 2025

    Cipriani Bellini Maker Says Drink Importer Copies Cocktail Dress

    Cipriani Bellini maker Altunis and its U.S. licensee Bicobi Ltd. have sued alcohol importer Monsieur Touton Selection in New York federal court for allegedly infringing its trade dress by using an Altunis cocktail's seafoam green color bottle and package for its own products after Bicobi walked away from a distribution agreement.

  • May 06, 2025

    4th Circ. Flags Possibly New Arguments In Severed-Foot Case

    A Fourth Circuit judge on Tuesday suggested a North Carolina farm had sandbagged a federal district court judge by raising arguments on appeal that weren't fleshed out for the lower court in an effort to overturn a $2.5 million jury verdict favoring a worker who lost his foot to a grain silo auger.

  • May 06, 2025

    Mich. Judge Urges Contract Suit Settlement After $32M Verdict

    A Michigan federal judge on Tuesday granted a pot farm's bid for prejudgment interest on a $31.8 million verdict in its contract dispute against two Curaleaf units, but declined to sanction the units and said it was advisable for both sides to reach a settlement in post-judgment proceedings.

  • May 06, 2025

    Diageo Overstates Agave Content In Tequilas, Suit Says

    Global liquor giant Diageo North America falsely advertises its Casamigos and Don Julio beverages as containing 100% tequila agave, despite that the distilled spirits are adulterated with significant amounts of cane or other types of alcohol, according to a proposed class action filed Monday in New York federal court. 

  • May 06, 2025

    Ill. Judge Trims False Ad Suit Over Smartfood Popcorn

    An Illinois federal judge on Monday partially granted a bid by PepsiCo to dismiss a putative class action alleging popcorn made by subsidiary Smartfoods Inc. was deceptively marketed as containing no artificial flavors or preservatives, when it contains maltodextrin, while saying the plaintiffs had done enough at this stage to allege the ingredient is an artificial preservative.

  • May 06, 2025

    Pa. House OKs Pot Legalization Bill With State-Run Shops

    Pennsylvania's House of Representatives approved on Tuesday a Democrat-backed bill to legalize recreational adult-use marijuana and regulate its sale through state-run stores.

  • May 06, 2025

    Firms Beat Malpractice Suit Over Chicken Plant Pollution

    Delaware's Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed a trial court's dismissal of a malpractice suit against Brockstedt Mandalas Federico LLC and Schochor Staton Goldberg & Cardea PA for their alleged mishandling of claims associated with a child's "catastrophic injuries" purportedly caused by contamination from a chicken plant.

  • May 06, 2025

    Ex-Investor In Cannabis-Infused Water Wants Charges Tossed

    A former shareholder of American Premium Water Corp. is urging an Ohio federal judge to throw out the charges against him alleging that he participated in a $10 million pump-and-dump scheme, saying the indictment doesn't properly allege his wrongdoing.

  • May 06, 2025

    Food Co. Harvest Sherwood Hits Ch. 11 Amid Sprouts Lawsuit

    Meat distributor Harvest Sherwood Food Distributors Inc. has filed for Chapter 11 protection in Texas bankruptcy court with up to $559 million in debt, saying it intends to wind down its remaining business and pursue claims against Sprouts Farmers Market over allegedly withheld payments.

  • May 05, 2025

    CoreLife Eatery Settles $7.8M Fraud Claim Over COVID Funds

    CoreLife Eatery will pay over $7.8 million to settle allegations that it falsely claimed eligibility for a pandemic-era program meant to boost small businesses, the U.S. Attorneys' Office for the Northern District of New York announced Monday.

  • May 05, 2025

    Citizens Policy May Cover BIPA Claim, 7th Circ. Says

    An Illinois food ingredient manufacturer may be able to tap into one of its Citizens insurance policies for coverage of an underlying biometric privacy suit, if the company can prove it provided the insurer with timely notice of the claim, the Seventh Circuit said.

  • May 05, 2025

    Judge Backs Biden-Era Protections For H-2A Farmworkers

    A North Carolina federal judge tossed a challenge to a Biden-era regulation that enhanced the organizing rights of seasonal farmworkers with H-2A visas, saying Monday that the U.S. Department of Labor didn't act arbitrarily and capriciously when it issued the regulation.

  • May 05, 2025

    PCA Tribunal Favors UK In Sandeel Fishing Dispute With EU

    The United Kingdom has a right to stop the commercial fishing of sandeels in U.K. waters as it looks to protect endangered seabirds, a Permanent Court of Arbitration tribunal has ruled in a dispute brought by the European Union.

  • May 05, 2025

    Burger King Can't Chop Claims It Cooked Up Misleading Ads

    Burger King can't toss a proposed class action alleging its advertisements misrepresent the size and amount of toppings in its iconic Whopper hamburger, a Florida federal judge ruled Monday, saying the consumers have plausibly alleged the advertisement photos "go beyond mere exaggeration or puffery."

  • May 05, 2025

    IHOP Franchisee, Ex-Server End Sex Harassment Suit

    A North Carolina federal judge agreed to dismiss a legal battle between an IHOP franchisee and a former server who said she was fired for rejecting a manager's sexual advances, as the parties had said a previous ruling from another judge doomed the worker's suit.

  • May 05, 2025

    Calif. Chamber Gets Acrylamide Cancer Warnings Deleted

    A California federal judge has sided with the state's Chamber of Commerce in a suit challenging Proposition 65's requirement that companies warn buyers about dietary acrylamide in their products, finding that it violates the First Amendment's protections against compelled speech.

  • May 05, 2025

    Fla. Voters To Decide On Property Tax Exemption For Ag Land

    Florida will have voters decide via a statewide ballot measure during the state's next general election on a proposed amendment to the state constitution to exempt property on designated agricultural land from taxes under a House joint resolution approved by lawmakers.

  • May 05, 2025

    Agri Stats Wants Judge Recused From DOJ Case

    Agri Stats asked the Minnesota federal judge overseeing the government's case accusing the data firm of helping meat processors exchange sensitive information to recuse himself because one of his law clerks previously worked on the case for one of the state enforcers.

  • May 05, 2025

    Supreme Court Won't Review Mass. Wind Farm Permits

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review the federal government's approval of a large offshore wind energy project in the waters off the Massachusetts coast, rejecting allegations that the go-ahead ignored the risks the project poses to the commercial fishing industry.

  • May 02, 2025

    Abbott Beats Bellwether In Formula MDL Ahead Of Trial

    An Illinois federal judge Friday held that Abbott Laboratories isn't liable for the death of a baby who consumed its Similac baby formula, entering judgment in favor of Abbott in a bellwether case in multidistrict litigation that was set to head to trial in a little over a week.

Expert Analysis

  • State Of The States' AI Legal Ethics Landscape

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    Over the past year, several state bar associations, as well as the American Bar Association, have released guidance on the ethical use of artificial intelligence in legal practice, all of which share overarching themes and some nuanced differences, say Eric Pacifici and Kevin Henderson at SMB Law Group.

  • How Biden Admin Has Used Antitrust Tools, And What's Next

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    The last four years have been marked by an aggressive whole-of-government approach to antitrust enforcement using a broad range of tools, and may result in lasting change regardless of the upcoming presidential election result, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Cos. Face Increasing Risk From Environmental Citizen Suits

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    Environmental citizen suits stepping in to fill the regulatory vacuum concerning consumer goods waste may soon become more common, and the evolving procedural landscape and changes to environmental law may contribute to companies' increased exposure, say J. Michael Showalter and Bradley Rochlen at ArentFox Schiff.

  • 8 Childhood Lessons That Can Help You Be A Better Attorney

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    A new school year is underway, marking a fitting time for attorneys to reflect on some fundamental life lessons from early childhood that offer a framework for problems that no legal textbook can solve, say Chris Gismondi and Chris Campbell at DLA Piper.

  • Challenge To Ill. Card Fee Law Explores Compliance Hurdles

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    A recent federal lawsuit challenging an Illinois law that will soon forbid electronic payment networks from charging fees for processing the tax and tip portions of card transactions, fleshes out the glaring compliance challenges and exposure risks financial institutions must be ready to face next summer, says Martin Kiernan at Amundsen Davis.

  • Harris Unlikely To Shelve Biden Admin's Food Antitrust Stance

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    A look at Vice President Kamala Harris' past record, including her actions as California attorney general, shows why practitioners should prepare for continued aggressive antitrust enforcement, particularly in the food and grocery industries, if Harris wins the presidential election, says Steve Vieux at Bartko.

  • Opinion

    This Election, We Need To Talk About Court Process

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    In recent decades, the U.S. Supreme Court has markedly transformed judicial processes — from summary judgment standards to notice pleadings — which has, in turn, affected individuals’ substantive rights, and we need to consider how the upcoming presidential election may continue this pattern, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • The Complex Challenges Facing Sustainable Food Packaging

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    More and more states are requiring recycled content to be used in product packaging, creating complex technological and regulatory considerations for manufacturers who must also comply with federal food safety requirements, say Peter Coneski and Natalie Rainer at K&L Gates.

  • Series

    Playing Diplomacy Makes Us Better Lawyers

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    Similar to the practice of law, the rules of Diplomacy — a strategic board game set in pre-World War I Europe — are neither concise nor without ambiguity, and weekly gameplay with our colleagues has revealed the game's practical applications to our work as attorneys, say Jason Osborn and Ben Bevilacqua at Winston & Strawn.

  • 5th Circ. Shows Admin Rules Can Survive Court Post-Chevron

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    The Fifth Circuit's textual analysis of the Fair Labor Standards Act, contributing to its recent affirming of the U.S. Department of Labor’s authority to set an overtime exemption salary threshold, suggests administrative laws can survive post-Chevron challenges, say Jessi Thaller-Moran and Erin Barker at Brooks Pierce.

  • How Patent Litigation Is Changing Amid Decline In Filings

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    Marked by a notable decline in case filings and preferred venue shifts, patent litigation has undergone significant changes over the last decade and litigation hot spots have shifted, encouraging a more strategic approach to patent disputes, says Saishruti Mutneja at Winston & Strawn.

  • Mental Health First Aid: A Brief Primer For Attorneys

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    Amid a growing body of research finding that attorneys face higher rates of mental illness than the general population, firms should consider setting up mental health first aid training programs to help lawyers assess mental health challenges in their colleagues and intervene with compassion, say psychologists Shawn Healy and Tracey Meyers.

  • Enviro Policy Trends That Will Continue Beyond The Election

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    Come October in a presidential election year, the policy world feels like a winner-take-all scenario, with the outcome of the vote determining how or even whether we are regulated — but there are several key ongoing trends that will continue to drive environmental regulation regardless of the election results, say J. Michael Showalter and Samuel Rasche at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Series

    Collecting Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The therapeutic aspects of appreciating and collecting art improve my legal practice by enhancing my observation skills, empathy, creativity and cultural awareness, says attorney Michael McCready.

  • Secret Service Failures Offer Lessons For Private Sector GCs

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    The Secret Service’s problematic response to two assassination attempts against former President Donald Trump this summer provides a crash course for general counsel on how not to handle crisis communications, says Keith Nahigian at Nahigian Strategies.

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