Food & Beverage

  • September 09, 2026

    Bikini Barista Owner Owes Class $1.8M Over Wage Violations

    The owner of Seattle-area "bikini barista" company Beehive Espresso is on the hook for more than $1.8 million after a Washington state judge found him liable for numerous pay violations, including tip theft, limits on moonlighting, improper sick leave accounting and failure to pay minimum wage.

  • September 09, 2026

    Conn. Farmers Can't Point To Hemp Law Injury, Judge Says

    Connecticut hemp farmers and processors failed to overturn state laws that cracked down on the sale of intoxicating hemp products, after a federal judge ruled that they failed to show how they were concretely harmed by statutes that do not directly regulate cultivation.

  • September 09, 2026

    Judge Denies Validity Redo After $38M Verdict Partly Revived

    Bottler Shibuya Hoppmann and dairy company HP Hood are not entitled to a new trial on the validity of Steuben Foods' bottle sterilization patents after the Federal Circuit partly revived a $38 million infringement verdict against them, a Delaware federal judge said Wednesday.

  • September 09, 2026

    Wine Label Makers Spar Over Injunction In Trade Secret Fight

    A California federal judge on Wednesday weighed whether to grant a wine label company's motion for a preliminary injunction against rivals in a case accusing them of using trade secrets allegedly brought over by a former employee.

  • September 09, 2026

    Latest $1.5M Turkey Price-Fixing Deal Gets Early OK

    An Illinois federal judge Wednesday gave his initial sign-off to a $1.5 million deal Prestage Farms has inked to resolve certain buyers' claims in sprawling turkey price-fixing antitrust litigation.

  • September 09, 2026

    General Mills, Mars Allege Sugar Price-Fixing Scheme

    General Mills, Kellanova, Mars and Little Debbie maker McKee Foods are suing several major U.S. sugar producers in Illinois federal court, accusing them of conspiring to inflate granulated sugar prices for years by secretly sharing sensitive pricing, sales and supply information through an intermediary.

  • September 09, 2026

    Rise Brewing Urges Justices To Let Juries Weigh TM Strength

    RiseandShine Corp. urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to reject what it called the Second Circuit's outlier rule allowing judges to decide the strength of a trademark, arguing in its opening merits brief that the question belongs to juries because it hinges on how ordinary consumers perceive a mark.

  • September 09, 2026

    5-Hour Energy Rival Takes Antitrust Fight To 6th Circ.

    A rival of 5-Hour Energy is taking its beef with the energy shot maker to the Sixth Circuit after a Michigan federal judge refused to revive its claims that the company was keeping competitors out of the market by inking deals that require its products be displayed at checkout counters.

  • September 09, 2026

    Aramark Worker Fights To Keep Parent Company In Wage Suit

    A Seattle concessions supervisor has pushed back against a food services company's bid to exit from a wage and hour lawsuit, arguing in Washington federal court that the company's centralized control over employee handbooks, payroll, human resources and scheduling policies is enough to hold it liable as a joint employer under state wage law.

  • September 09, 2026

    US Bans Canadian Alcohol, Motorcycles After Tariff Retaliation

    President Donald Trump continued the U.S. trade offensive against Canada after its northern neighbor's retaliatory tariffs went into effect, announcing a ban on Canadian imports of certain alcohol, dairy products and motorcycles starting this month.

  • September 08, 2026

    5th Circ. Nixes Bulk Of NLRB Order In Starbucks Threats Case

    The Fifth Circuit has declined to enforce the bulk of a National Labor Relations Board decision finding Starbucks unlawfully threatened workers with reduced store hours and a hiring freeze in response to a unionization campaign but said one manager unlawfully threatened workers' health and leave benefits.

  • September 08, 2026

    Italian Winemaker Wins TM Fight At TTAB

    The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board has blocked a Mexican resort's attempt to register a trademark on wine it sold, after finding it would likely be confused with an Italian winery's brand.

  • September 08, 2026

    5th Circ. Partially Backs NLRB Ruling In Starbucks Union Fight

    The Fifth Circuit backed most of a National Labor Relations Board decision finding that Starbucks engaged in a host of federal labor law violations to suppress a union campaign in upstate New York, ruling that the board's findings are supported by "substantial evidence" presented in the case.

  • September 08, 2026

    Buc-ee's Says Its TM Suits Aren't A 'Bullying' Campaign

    Travel center chain Buc-ee's is pushing back on allegations of trademark bullying from Teddy's Market in a Georgia federal lawsuit that Buc-ee's filed against the convenience store rival, asking a judge to throw out six counterclaims challenging its trademark enforcement and registrations.

  • September 08, 2026

    Hemp Cos. Win Block Of New Ohio THC Regulations

    An Ohio federal judge has agreed to block enforcement of a new state law classifying any product with more than 0.3% THC as cannabis, finding the hemp companies have sufficiently shown that the law violates the dormant commerce clause by unfairly discriminating against out-of-state actors.

  • September 04, 2026

    Recall Recap: Boston Scientific Pacemakers, Baby Formula

    While the iceberg lettuce cyclospora outbreak and subsequent litigation targeting supplier Taylor Farms Inc. and Taco Bell was the chief news this summer in product recalls, Law360 takes a look back at some of the other suits filed in recent months over recalls that may have slipped under readers' radars.

  • September 04, 2026

    Divided 5th Circ. Backs Toss Of Jackson Water Suit

    A split en banc Fifth Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a lawsuit Jackson, Mississippi, residents filed over lead in city drinking water, with the majority holding that the residents asserted rights to uncontaminated water and accurate information from public officials that the U.S. Constitution doesn't grant.

  • September 04, 2026

    Dog Owners Say 'Taste Of The Wild' Food Causes Heart Risks

    Two New York pet owners are suing the manufacturer of Taste of the Wild dog food, claiming its grain-free products caused their dogs to develop a fatal heart condition with one dog dying at age 5 and another suffering severe health issues, according to a federal lawsuit.

  • September 04, 2026

    Injury Law Roundup: Meta's Social Media Addiction Deal

    A $17.1 billion social media addiction settlement between Meta and 29 states and Johnson & Johnson's $5.5 billion ovarian cancer deal over its talc products lead Law360's Injury Law Roundup.

  • September 04, 2026

    Court Slams 'Half-Hearted Compliance' In Crab Price-Fix Suit

    A California federal magistrate judge has given a seafood company until Sept. 11 to meet the discovery obligations it has repeatedly fallen short of in a proposed class action accusing it of fixing prices for Dungeness crabs.

  • September 04, 2026

    Hospital Group Wants To Weigh In On $32M Yale Death Verdict

    The Connecticut Hospital Association urged a state appeals court to let it weigh in on a challenge to a nearly $32 million judgment entered against a Yale University-affiliated hospital over a premature baby's death, arguing the case presents important issues surrounding wrongful death damages.

  • September 04, 2026

    Dunkin' Donuts Operator Misclassified Managers, Suit Says

    A Dunkin' Donuts franchisee misclassified store managers as exempt from overtime and failed to pay them for work exceeding 40 hours per week, a former employee claimed in a proposed class and collective action filed Friday in Virginia federal court.

  • September 04, 2026

    NC Judge Says Insurer Must Cover COVID Biz Losses

    A North Carolina federal judge has ruled that four Durham restaurants are entitled to coverage for losses they experienced during COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns, while calling out their insurer for its "superficial" and "perfunctory" attempts to argue it did not owe coverage.

  • September 04, 2026

    Exclusion Extinguishes PPE Maker's PFAS Coverage Bid

    A commercial general liability insurer owes no coverage to a personal protective equipment manufacturer sued by firefighters who said the company's gear exposed them to forever chemicals, an Ohio federal court ruled, finding that the claimed injuries fall under an occupational disease exclusion.

  • September 04, 2026

    US Extends Trade Programs With African Countries, Haiti

    The government funding bill signed by President Donald Trump this week included extensions of U.S. trade agreements with African nations and Haiti through the end of 2028, locking in duty exemptions for broad swaths of products following bipartisan support.

Expert Analysis

  • How Justices' TPS Ruling Affects Workforce Planning

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent holding in Mullin v. Doe that courts lack jurisdiction to review temporary protected status determinations greenlights the end of TPS for thousands of Syrian and Haitian nationals, and means employers must reevaluate TPS-designees' employability while avoiding discriminatory document practices, says attorney Richard Herman.

  • How Cos. Can Prep For Ultra-Processed Food Legal Risks

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    A wave of litigation and government scrutiny directed against ultra-processed foods is now gaining momentum, following patterns seen previously in other industries — and food companies that recognize those patterns early will be better positioned to manage the increasing risks, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Series

    Bass Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Landing a trophy striped bass and closing a big deal both require cultivating the patience to finesse — not force — your way to desired outcomes, changing course when your old approach isn’t working and learning from the ones that got away, says Jon Ruiss at Alston & Bird.

  • Roundup

    The Most Talked-About Supreme Court Decisions Of 2026

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    This term, 11 U.S. Supreme Court decisions quickly became hot topics among Law360's guest writers.

  • What Ex-CFPB Head's Calif. Role May Foretell For Oversight

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    California Gov. Gavin Newsom's selection of former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra to lead a new consumer agency signals tougher state financial services oversight, especially for fintechs, as well as heightened enforcement activity and larger penalties, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Immigration Ruling Maps Alternative To Universal Injunctions

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    A Rhode Island federal court's decision in Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island v. USCIS vacating policies that froze key immigration adjudications for nationals of 39 countries, and paused asylum applications altogether, suggests how practitioners might press for the Administrative Procedure Act's bad faith exception to record review and seek vacatur as a viable alternative to universal injunctions, says Kemal Hepsen at Mandamus Lawyers.

  • Lessons From EEOC Suit Over Coca-Cola Women-Only Event

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    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's recent lawsuit alleging that Coca-Cola Northeast violated federal law by having a professional development retreat for female employees demonstrates that the EEOC is scrutinizing DEI-related practices with unprecedented intensity, so even the most well-intentioned programs may be challenged, say attorneys at Venable.

  • High Court's FCC Fine Ruling Reframes Agency Enforcement

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Federal Communications Commission v. AT&T sweeps aside uncertainty about what kinds of regulatory enforcement trigger a Seventh Amendment right, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • After Durnell, Connecting Science And Causation Will Be Key

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's June 25 decision in Monsanto v. Durnell narrowed label-based failure-to-warn claims — meaning that going forward, viable theories will depend even more on whether experts can reliably connect scientific evidence to the causal proposition the law requires, says Alex Smolak at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar.

  • Series

    Choral Singing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Singing in the New York City Bar Chorus — a hobby partly inspired by the late U.S. District Judge Richard Owen, who infused my clerkship year with opera music — has improved my legal career by refining my abilities to listen, exude confidence and develop emotional intelligence, says Bonnie Baker at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Attorney Mental Health Is An Ethical Obligation In The AI Era

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    As attorneys cope with the increasing unpredictability that artificial intelligence and constant policy changes have created, particularly in practice areas where they carry the emotional weight of clients’ most consequential life events, otherwise soft discussions about self-care are a matter of professional competence, says attorney Jack Jrada.

  • Series

    Power To The Paralegals: Burnout As A Structural Problem

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    Law firm leadership can best retain their paralegals not by encouraging self-care, but by seeking top-down structural solutions for the quiet proliferation of responsibilities and the vicarious exposure to client trauma that particularly drive burnout in this vital role, says Erika Sneeringer at Brockstedt Mandalas.

  • Fed. Circ. In May: Being Precise About 'About'

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    The Federal Circuit's decision in Enviro Tech v. Safe Foods last month illustrates the danger in attempting to expand claim scope with words of approximation, potentially causing claims to be invalid for lack of definiteness, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • Ill. Law Firm MSO Bill Clashes With Court Power, Ethics Rules

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    An Illinois bill prohibiting law firms from certain business arrangements with management service organizations, sent to the governor for signature last week, encroaches upon the courts' constitutional powers and goes beyond the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct in regulating investment in law-related services, says Matthew O’Hara at Smith Gambrell.

  • Opinion

    State Courts Must Be Gatekeepers Of Expert Testimony

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    Based on my experience in the state judiciary, emulating federal courts' role as gatekeepers of expert witness testimony would help state court judges maintain the appearance of impartiality and assist juries, thus enhancing the overall confidence people have in their justice system, says Lorie Gildea at Greenberg Traurig.

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