Food & Beverage

  • May 22, 2025

    Ga. Attys Win Fight Over Lien Fees In Personal Injury Suit

    The Georgia Court of Appeals has upheld a nearly $500,000 attorney's lien order requiring a man to pay his former legal team attorney fees, finding Thursday that the attorneys had reasonable cause to withdraw from guiding him in a personal injury suit against Whole Foods after he rejected a $2 million settlement offer and the attorney-client relationship "deteriorated."

  • May 22, 2025

    Ill. Justices Say Wholesalers Had Notice In Cilantro Dispute

    A cilantro distributor should be able to pursue contribution claims against two wholesalers that allegedly sold tainted cilantro responsible for an E. coli outbreak, as the wholesalers' participation in litigation over the product gave them actual notice of the issues, the Illinois Supreme Court determined on Thursday.

  • May 22, 2025

    GOP FTC Drops Dems' Pepsi Price Discrimination Suit

    The Republican-controlled Federal Trade Commission on Thursday dropped one of the last cases approved by agency Democrats before they handed over the gavel, abandoning a New York federal court complaint accusing Pepsi of giving a big box retailer better terms and promotional payments than smaller competitors.

  • May 22, 2025

    Beastie Boys Settle 'Sabotage' IP Suit With Chili's Owner

    The Beastie Boys have reached a settlement in their copyright infringement suit in New York federal court against Chili's owner Brinker International Inc., which was accused of using one of the rap group's songs, "Sabotage," in social media marketing without permission.

  • May 21, 2025

    Calif. Justices Weigh Strict Arbitration Fee Law's Validity

    Counsel for a food supply company urged the California Supreme Court on Wednesday to find the Federal Arbitration Act preempts a state statute automatically waiving arbitration rights for a party that doesn't timely pay arbitration fees, saying the law is so draconian that even an earthquake wouldn't excuse late payment.

  • May 21, 2025

    SC Judge Restores Frozen Federal Grant Funding

    A South Carolina federal judge ordered the Trump administration to restore 32 grants funded by the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act after the government said it wasn't contesting the merits of the grant recipients' claims.

  • May 21, 2025

    'Tough Luck' Case Law Cited In Refusal To Stop Summons

    An Illinois federal judge on Tuesday grudgingly declined to issue an injunction to stop an arbitrator from dragging insurance broker Arthur J. Gallagher & Co. into arbitration stemming from the bankruptcy of Cooks Venture, a startup that specialized in the production and processing of pasture-raised, slow-growth chickens.

  • May 21, 2025

    Insurer Demands Shipper Pay $480K For Spoiled Crabmeat

    An insurer asked a New York federal court on Wednesday to force a Taiwanese shipper to pay over $480,000 for crabmeat that the carrier alleged was spoiled en route from the Philippines to Norfolk, Virginia.

  • May 21, 2025

    Handel's Accused Of Hiding Dyes In Its 'Homemade' Ice Cream

    A Handel's customer filed a false advertising proposed class action in California federal court Wednesday alleging the ice cream retailer claims that its frozen treats are "homemade" using the best quality ingredients with a recipe dating back to 1945, while hiding they contain artificial food dyes and propylene glycol. 

  • May 21, 2025

    Vegan Restaurant Chain Planta To Tap $1.75M In DIP Funding

    A Delaware bankruptcy judge Wednesday agreed to approve bankrupt vegan restaurant chain Planta's bid to access $1.75 million of its $3.5 million debtor-in-possession financing package, saying it needs funding to continue its efforts toward a sale.

  • May 21, 2025

    Monster Beverage Fails In Bid To Nix Workers' 401(k) Fee Suit

    Monster Beverage can't escape a proposed class action alleging it allowed its employee 401(k) plan to be saddled with unreasonable recordkeeping costs and took excessive amounts from the plan to pad an Employee Retirement Income Security Act benefit account to treat it as a slush fund, a California federal judge has ruled. 

  • May 21, 2025

    Montana Reduces Taxes On Residential, Commercial Property

    Montana will lower taxes on residential and commercial property, provide property tax rebates to homeowners and implement other changes to the state's property tax regime under legislation signed by the governor.

  • May 21, 2025

    Mich. Justices Won't Hear Hotels' Water Rate Appeal

    The Michigan Supreme Court on Wednesday declined to review a Michigan town's water and sewer rates, rejecting an appeal from a group of hotels and restaurants that alleged a rate hike was an unconstitutional tax.

  • May 21, 2025

    Kraft Heinz Signals M&A Ambitions Amid Berkshire Board Exit

    Kraft Heinz Co. is evaluating potential "strategic transactions" amid a board shakeup, as the food giant lays the groundwork for potential changes to its portfolio.

  • May 21, 2025

    Distiller Says Ex-Partner, Attys Used RICO Suit To Ruin Him

    A Pennsylvania distiller claims his erstwhile partner in Pittsburgh's Kingfly Spirits launched years of litigation against him designed to ruin his reputation and career, saying in a complaint of his own that the ex-collaborator texted him "game on" before beginning his abusive legal campaign.

  • May 21, 2025

    Distributor Can't Duck Revised Crab Price-Fixing Suit

    A California federal magistrate judge added Ocean King Fish Inc. to a list of more than a dozen distributors that must face a proposed class action from crabbers alleging a conspiracy to cap prices paid to fishermen for Dungeness crab in the Pacific Northwest.

  • May 20, 2025

    4th Circ. Says Suit Over Copter Pilot's Death Must Go To Jury

    The Fourth Circuit has reinstated a lawsuit by the widow of a crop-dusting pilot who crashed after his helicopter became tangled in a steel cable stretched over the property, ruling in a published opinion issued Monday that a jury must be the one to decide whether the landlord should have known that the wire posed a danger to the pilot.

  • May 20, 2025

    Keurig Says Google Ruling Doesn't Back Antitrust Claims

    Keurig coffee pod buyers who have accused the company of anticompetitive behavior mischaracterized a recent court ruling in an antitrust case against Google to make their own case look better, the company has told the New York federal court overseeing the long-running litigation.

  • May 20, 2025

    Ga. Craft Brewery Hit With Unpaid Wages Suit

    A Georgia craft brewery and its owner have been sued in federal court by three current employees who allege that they have not been paid proper minimum wages over the last three years.

  • May 20, 2025

    Carnegie Hall Group Targets Hospitality Biz In TM Suit

    The nonprofit behind New York City's famous Carnegie Hall accused a hospitality company in a federal lawsuit Tuesday of infringing the concert venue's trademarks by using them for the company's diners and cafés.

  • May 20, 2025

    Investor Seeks Final OK For $41.5M Pilgrim's Pride Settlement

    A proposed class of investors asked a Colorado federal judge for a final sign-off on a $41.5 million settlement with Pilgrim's Pride Corp. to resolve claims they artificially inflated stock prices with a price-fixing scheme targeted at the broiler chicken market, with $13.7 million of the deal going to attorney fees.

  • May 20, 2025

    China Opposes Canada's Push To Speed Up WTO Food Fight

    China is pushing back against Canada's efforts to expedite its case against Beijing's new agricultural tariffs, according to a World Trade Organization document circulated Tuesday, rejecting claims that the case must be handled urgently simply because it involves food products.

  • May 20, 2025

    Indirect Chicken Buyers' Attys Seek Additional $12M In Fees

    Attorneys for commercial and institutional indirect purchaser plaintiffs in sprawling antitrust litigation against the nation's top poultry producers asked an Illinois federal judge Monday to approve roughly $12 million in additional attorney fees after they secured more than $41 million in additional deals since a prior fee motion.

  • May 20, 2025

    2 More Countries Sign WTO Fishing Trade Pact

    Two more countries, Georgia and Lesotho, have signed on to a World Trade Organization agreement to improve regulations around fishing industry subsidies. 

  • May 19, 2025

    Liberty Mutual Unit Can't Dodge Spoiled Wine Coverage Suit

    A Liberty Mutual unit can't escape a vineyard's suit seeking indemnification for a settlement reached with another winery over 320,000 damaged cases of wine, a Washington federal court ruled Monday, saying none of the exclusions cited by the insurer clearly apply.

Expert Analysis

  • What Greenwashing Looks Like, And How To Navigate Claims

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    Recent cases show that consumers seeking to challenge sustainability claims as greenwashing face significant legal hurdles, and that companies can avoid liability by emphasizing context, says Felicia Boyd at Norton Rose.

  • AI Use In Class Actions Comes With Risks And Rewards

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    The use of artificial intelligence in class actions holds promise for helping to analyze complex evidence, but attorneys and experts must understand how to use it correctly, and how to explain it clearly, say Simone Jones and Eric Mattson at Sidley and Anna Shakotko at Cornerstone Research.

  • 10 Soft Skills Every GC Should Master

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    As businesses face shifting regulatory and technological uncertainty, general counsel will need to strengthen certain soft skills to succeed, from admitting when they make a mistake to maintaining a healthy dose of dispassion, says Douglas Brown at Manatt.

  • 6 Criteria Can Help Assess Executive Branch Actions

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    With new executive policy changes announced seemingly every day, several questions can help courts, policymakers and businesses determine whether such actions are proper, effective and in keeping with our democratic norms, say Marc Levin and Khalil Cumberbatch at the Council on Criminal Justice.

  • An Unrestrained, Bright-Eyed View Of Legal AI's Future

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    Todd Itami at Covington offers a bright-eyed, laughing-all-the-way, skydive look at what the legal industry could look like after an artificial intelligence revolution, which he believes may happen much sooner and more dramatically than we expect.

  • Tracking The Evolution In Litigation Finance

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    Despite continued innovation, litigation finance remains an immature market with borrowers recieving significantly different terms as lenders learn to value cases, which firms need a strong handle on to ensure lending terms do not overwhelm collateral value, says Robert Wilkins at Lightfoot Franklin.

  • Series

    Volunteer Firefighting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While practicing corporate law and firefighting may appear incongruous, the latter benefits my legal career by reminding me of the importance of humility, perspective and education, says Nicholas Passaro at Ford.

  • Influencer Campaign Lawsuits Signal New Endorsement Risks

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    Recent class actions allege that companies' influencer campaigns violate the Federal Trade Commission's Endorsement Guides and various state laws, but it's not clear whether the failure to comply can sustain these lawsuits, or whether the plaintiffs' creative theory of damages will hold up to scrutiny, says Gonzalo Mon at Kelley Drye.

  • Digesting A 2nd Circ. Ruling On Food Delivery App Arbitration

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    The Second Circuit recently rejected Grubhub's attempt to arbitrate price-fixing claims, while allowing Uber Eats to do so, reinforcing that even broad arbitration clauses must connect to the underlying dispute and suggesting that terms of service litigation may center on websites' design and content, say attorneys at Greenspoon Marder.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: The Perils Of Digital Data Protocols

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    Though stipulated protocols governing the treatment of electronically stored information in litigation are meant to streamline discovery, recent disputes demonstrate that certain missteps in the process can lead to significant inefficiencies, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Defense Strategies After Justices' Personal Injury RICO Ruling

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    In Medical Marijuana v. Horn, the U.S. Supreme Court recently held that the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act can be invoked by some plaintiffs with claims arising from personal injuries — but defense counsel can use the limitations on civil RICO claims to seek early dismissal in such cases, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Preparing For Corporate Work

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    Law school often doesn't cover the business strategy, financial fluency and negotiation skills needed for a successful corporate or transactional law practice, but there are practical ways to gain relevant experience and achieve the mindset shifts critical to a thriving career in this space, says Dakota Forsyth at Olshan Frome.

  • How Cos. Can Mitigate Increasing Microplastics Liability Risk

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    Amid rising scrutiny in the U.S. and Europe of microplastics' impact on health and the growing threat of litigation against consumer product and food and beverage manufacturers, companies can limit liability through compliance with labeling laws, careful contract management and other practices, say attorneys at Rogers Joseph.

  • A Cold War-Era History Lesson On Due Process

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    The landmark Harry Bridges case from the mid-20th century Red Scare offers important insights on why lawyers must be free of government reprisal, no matter who their client is, says Peter Afrasiabi at One LLP.

  • Series

    Improv Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Improv keeps me grounded and connected to what matters most, including in my legal career where it has helped me to maintain a balance between being analytical, precise and professional, and creative, authentic and open-minded, says Justine Gottshall at InfoLawGroup.

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