Food & Beverage

  • March 14, 2025

    Md. Judge Joins Calif. In Reversing Federal Workers' Firing

    A Maryland federal judge has ordered the reinstatement of thousands of probationary employees who were abruptly fired from 18 federal agencies, saying the Trump administration's lack of required notice left states "scrambling" to pick up the pieces.

  • March 14, 2025

    Texas Restaurant Offered Worker $1K, Seeks To End Tip Suit

    A Houston-area restaurant told a Texas court Friday that it offered $1,000 to a former server who claimed it failed to inform her that she would have to pay for her uniforms, saying the worker's proposed collective action should be tossed.

  • March 14, 2025

    LA Lands Deal With Airline Caterer To End Wage Law Dispute

    An airline caterer accused of violating a Los Angeles city ordinance through its pay practices told a California federal court it resolved its dispute with the city, which had launched an investigation, after the caterer settled claims with a class of employees, according to City Council meeting records.

  • March 14, 2025

    Judge Vacates Baby Formula Trial Win For Abbott, Mead

    A Missouri judge on Thursday threw out a jury verdict that cleared Abbott Laboratories and Mead Johnson of liability in a joint trial over claims their baby formula causes a serious condition in preterm infants, saying a new trial is necessary because the defense "intentionally violated the court's orders and rulings by improperly introducing the inadmissible evidence to the jury, time after time."

  • March 14, 2025

    Starbucks Ordered To Pay $50M In Burn Injury Case

    A California state jury in Los Angeles awarded $50 million Friday to a delivery driver burned by hot water at a Starbucks drive-through window, roughly splitting the difference between the parties' suggested damages.

  • March 14, 2025

    6th Circ. Rejects Tribe's Appeal Of Great Lakes Fishing Pact

    A Sixth Circuit panel upheld a 2023 decree governing fishery management in the Great Lakes on Thursday, finding that a Michigan federal judge had the prerogative to enter the decree over the objections of a Native American tribe. 

  • March 14, 2025

    Hemp Farm's Fees Bid 'Excessive,' Colo. Judge Finds

    A Colorado magistrate judge has found that a hemp farm can collect reasonable attorney fees and costs from a business partner that breached a memorandum of understanding related to a mid-litigation audit, but scolded the farm for its "excessive" calculation, which includes hours billed long before the memorandum was even signed.

  • March 13, 2025

    Starbucks Burn Victim Deserves Up To $125M, Jury Told

    Lawyers for a man burned by hot water at Starbucks made their final appeal Thursday in California state court for an award of up to $125 million for "injury and damage to every facet of his life," as the corporation insisted it wasn't clear all the injury stemmed from the spill.

  • March 13, 2025

    Grubhub Can't Force Arbitration, But Uber Can At 2nd Circ.

    A partially divided Second Circuit panel said Thursday that Grubhub cannot force into arbitration a proposed class action's price-fixing claims based on rules barring restaurants from selling food more cheaply through other channels, but left the arbitrability question for the same claims against Uber Eats up to the arbitrator.

  • March 13, 2025

    Snack Maker Sued Over No-Preservative Label Claims

    Chip company Late July Snacks LLC has misled consumers into thinking its nachos and other tortilla products are "all natural," when in reality, they contain an artificial preservative, according to a woman's proposed class action removed Wednesday by the company to California federal court.

  • March 13, 2025

    Buehler's Managers Say Grocery Chain Flouts OT Laws

    Grocery chain Buehler's Fresh Foods is accused of failing to pay overtime wages to catering, produce, kitchen and bakery managers who put in more than 40 hours per workweek but were wrongly classified as exempt, according to a proposed collective action filed in Ohio federal court. 

  • March 13, 2025

    Bumble Bee Foods Accused Of Benefiting From Forced Labor

    Four Indonesian villagers who allege they were trapped in abusive and dangerous slave-working conditions for years aboard tuna fishing vessels sued Bumble Bee Foods LLC in California federal court, accusing the seafood giant of knowingly benefiting from forced labor in violation of the Trafficking Victims Protection Act.

  • March 13, 2025

    Home Chef, Staffing Co. Sued Over Harassment Firing

    A staffing agency and Relish Labs LLC, the legal entity behind meal kit delivery service Home Chef, have been sued in Georgia federal court by a former employee who alleged she was fired after reporting sexual harassment she suffered at the hands of a co-worker.

  • March 13, 2025

    ADM Can't Duck Suit Over Nutrition Biz Investigation

    An Illinois federal judge has refused to dismiss an investor suit claiming that the purported growth of Archer Daniels Midland's nutrition segment was based on improper accounting practices, saying the shareholders have made "robust" allegations that company executives made knowingly false statements about its profitability.

  • March 13, 2025

    Chubb Unit Can't Depose Smithfield CLO After 5-Year Lag

    North Carolina's Business Court judge shut down a late deposition motion by a Chubb subsidiary seeking testimony from Smithfield Foods Inc.'s chief legal officer, criticizing the insurer for purportedly trying to open a "back door" to the coverage lawsuit's already-closed discovery process.

  • March 13, 2025

    Trump's EU Threat May Aim To Boost Negotiation Leverage

    President Donald Trump continued his trade tactics Thursday, threatening a 200% tariff on European alcohol imports that is almost certain to be another tool to leverage in future negotiations despite the economic uncertainty it creates.

  • March 13, 2025

    Michigan Pot Farm Wants Sanctions In $32M Contract Suit

    A Michigan cannabis farm that won a $31.8 million verdict against Curaleaf in a contract dispute in January is urging a Michigan federal court to sanction the company further, saying it has misrepresented law and binding precedent in its arguments against prejudgment interest.

  • March 12, 2025

    Fox News Cleared Of Sex Assault Claims, But Anchor Isn't

    A New York federal judge on Wednesday agreed to free Fox News from a suit alleging that former host Ed Henry sexually harassed and raped a former producer but held that Henry must face the bulk of her claims before a jury trial set for May.

  • March 12, 2025

    EPA Puts 'Holy Grail Of Climate Change Religion' In Crosshairs

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday said it is reconsidering its 2009 finding that some greenhouse gases endanger humans' health and welfare — putting the fate of rules that sprang from that landmark conclusion into question.

  • March 12, 2025

    Starbucks Spill Left Little Permanent Damage, LA Jury Told

    Starbucks Corp. sought to limit damages Wednesday after being found fully at fault for the spill of a scalding drink, bringing a psychiatrist and a reconstructive surgeon to court to testify that a delivery driver's injuries have healed well.

  • March 12, 2025

    Cherry Growers' IP Win Vacated Due To Bogus Evidence

    A Washington federal judge has vacated his two-year-old decision invalidating a U.S. patent covering the Staccato cherry variety owned by the Canadian government, finding that his prior decision was based on an incomplete sales spreadsheet that didn't include line items showing that the sales were of an entirely different cherry variety.

  • March 12, 2025

    Brewer Opposes Heineken's Bid To Dismiss TM Claim

    Protections in a federal law prohibiting the enforcement of trademarks seized by the Cuban government aren't limited to the original owner or successor-in-interest of confiscated property, brewer Soltura LLC has argued in a memo opposing a Heineken NV unit's bid to dismiss its counterclaim brought under the No Stolen Trademarks Honored in America Act.

  • March 12, 2025

    Shepherd Blasts Ranchers' Bid To End Wage-Fixing Suit

    A Peruvian sheepherder has asked a Nevada federal judge not to dismiss his proposed antitrust class action alleging that a ranching association and its members conspired to suppress migrant workers' wages, arguing that he has detailed information about when the member ranches agreed to follow the association's prohibitions on employee transfers or recruitment.

  • March 12, 2025

    Panel Decries Judge's Watergate Remarks, Axes $2M Verdict

    A Florida appeals court on Wednesday vacated a $2 million verdict in a slip-and-fall suit against Walmart, saying the trial court's comments that allegedly missing video evidence was akin to Nixon's actions in the Watergate scandal signaled his preconceived notion that the company improperly destroyed evidence.

  • March 12, 2025

    Alaska Tribal Groups' Bid To Update Fish Harvesting Rule Fails

    A federal judge has said the National Marine Fisheries Service didn't violate the law by relying on 2004 and 2007 environmental impact statements to determine specifications for a final groundfish harvest rule for the Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands, rejecting two Alaskan tribal organizations' bid to vacate the rule.

Expert Analysis

  • A Look At The Economic Impact Of Drug Patent Differentiation

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    Given the Federal Trade Commission’s recent emphasis on unfair competition based on disputed patent listings, pharmaceutical market participants are likely to require nuanced characterizations of actual and but-for market competition when multiple patents differentiate multiple products, say economists at Competition Dynamics.

  • Considering Possible PR Risks Of Certain Legal Tactics

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    Disney and American Airlines recently abandoned certain litigation tactics in two lawsuits after fierce public backlash, illustrating why corporate counsel should consider the reputational implications of any legal strategy and partner with their communications teams to preempt public relations concerns, says Chris Gidez at G7 Reputation Advisory.

  • How Labeling And Testing May Help Reduce PFAS Litigation

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    As regulators take steps to reduce consumers’ exposure to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, also known as forever chemicals, companies can take a proactive approach to mitigating litigation risks not only by labeling their products transparently, but also by complying with testing and marketing standards, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

  • It's No Longer Enough For Firms To Be Trusted Advisers

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    Amid fierce competition for business, the transactional “trusted adviser” paradigm from which most firms operate is no longer sufficient — they should instead aim to become trusted partners with their most valuable clients, says Stuart Maister at Strategic Narrative.

  • Expect More Restaurant Ch. 11s As COVID Debt Comes Due

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    The wave of restaurant bankruptcies is likely to continue in the coming months as companies face the looming repayment of COVID-19 pandemic-era government loans, an uncertain economy and increased interest rates, says Isaac Marcushamer at DGIM Law.

  • 'Greenhushing': Why Some Cos. Are Keeping Quiet On ESG

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    A wave of ESG-related litigation and regulations have led some companies to retreat altogether from any public statements about their ESG goals, a trend known as "greenhushing" that was at the center of a recent D.C. court decision involving Coca-Cola, say Gonzalo Mon and Katie Rogers at Kelley Drye.

  • Co-Tenancy Clause Pointers For Shopping Center Landlords

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    Large retail tenants often require co-tenancy provisions in their leases, entitling them to remedies if a shopping center's occupancy drops in certain ways, but landlords must draft these provisions carefully to avoid giving tenants too much control, says Gary Glick at Cox Castle.

  • Complying With FTC's Final Rule On Sham Online Reviews

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    The Federal Trade Commission's final rule on deceptive acts and practices in online reviews and testimonials is effective Oct. 21, and some practice tips can help businesses avert noncompliance risks, say Airina Rodrigues and Jonathan Sandler at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • Nuclear Waste Storage Questions Justices May Soon Address

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    The petition for the U.S. Supreme Court to review U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas stands out for a number of reasons — including a deepening circuit split regarding the NRC's nuclear waste storage authority under the Atomic Energy Act, and broader administrative law implications, say attorneys at MoloLamken.

  • 3 Patent Considerations For America's New Quantum Hub

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    Recent developments signal an incredibly bright future for Chicago as the new home of quantum computing, and it is crucial that these innovators — whose technology has the potential to transform many industries — prioritize intellectual property strategy, says Andrew Velzen at McDonnell Boehnen.

  • Navigating A Potpourri Of Possible Transparency Act Pitfalls

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    Despite the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's continued release of guidance for complying with the Corporate Transparency Act, its interpretation remains in flux, making it important for companies to understand potentially problematic areas of ambiguity in the practical application of the law, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Fed. Circ. Ruling Creates New Rule For Certification Marks

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    The Federal Circuit's decision last month in Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac v. Cologne & Cognac Entertainment is significant in that it establishes a new standard for assessing evidence of third-party uses of a certification mark in deciding whether the mark is famous, say Samantha Katze and Lisa Rosaya at Manatt.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Conservation Rule Already Faces Challenges

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    The Bureau of Land Management's interpretation of land "use" in its Conservation and Landscape Health Rule is contrary to the agency's past practice and other Federal Land Policy and Management Act provisions, leaving the rule exposed in four legal challenges that may carry greater force in the wake of Loper Bright, say Stacey Bosshardt and Stephanie Regenold at Perkins Coie.

  • A Preview Of AI Priorities Under The Next President

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    For the first time in a presidential election, both of the leading candidates and their parties have been vocal about artificial intelligence policy, offering clues on the future of regulation as AI continues to advance and congressional action continues to stall, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • How Companies Are Approaching Insider Trading Policies

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    An analysis of insider trading policies recently disclosed by 49 S&P 500 companies under a new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule reveals that while specific provisions vary from company to company, certain common themes are emerging, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

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