Hospitality

  • May 09, 2024

    Wash. Justices Say HR Managers Can Accept Service For Co.

    The Washington State Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that a human resources manager is classified under state law as someone who can receive service on a company's behalf, siding with a personal injury plaintiff in a lawsuit against an Evergreen State nursing home.

  • May 09, 2024

    NFL Player-Turned-Atty Can't Appeal After Contempt Deal

    An appeal of a contempt-of-court order by NFL-player-turned-lawyer Walter Bernard is moot because the underlying dispute over unpaid rent has been settled and Bernard has been released from jail, the Pennsylvania Superior Court has ruled.

  • May 09, 2024

    Designer, Hotelier Sued For Allegedly Duping EB-5 Investors

    Chinese investors in a luxury California hotel for green cards lodged a potential class action Thursday against a prominent interior designer and her hotelier husband for allegedly duping backers into believing Marriott would manage the hotel.

  • May 08, 2024

    Ritz-Carlton Can't Dump Suit Over 'Semen-Contaminated' Water

    The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co. must face the majority of a couple's lawsuit alleging they were served water that had been contaminated with an employee's semen at its Half Moon Bay resort, a California federal judge ruled after dismissing claims against the hotel's parent company Marriott International.

  • May 08, 2024

    Mass. Justices May Give Green Light To Tip Ballot Measure

    Massachusetts' high court justices appeared skeptical Wednesday of arguments by a group of restaurant owners seeking to kill a ballot question that, if approved, would gradually raise the minimum wage for tipped workers to the state's $15-per-hour standard.

  • May 07, 2024

    NYC Eatery Asks 2nd Circ. To Undo Revival Of Workers' Suit

    A New York City restaurant operator urged the Second Circuit Tuesday to reject a lower court finding that its workers' federal wage claims may be cut from their class action but can also be reinstated if the appeals court were to vacate their state wage claims, insisting the decision is unfair.

  • May 07, 2024

    Starbucks Wants NLRB Injunction Bid To Wait On High Court

    A Michigan federal judge should wait on deciding whether to issue an injunction against Starbucks in a wrongful firing case out of Ann Arbor, the company argued, saying the U.S. Supreme Court must first decide a case concerning how injunctions are dispensed to National Labor Relations Board prosecutors.

  • May 07, 2024

    Atty Dons Muppet Head To Open Sesame Place Race Bias Trial

    A federal jury in Philadelphia on Tuesday gazed at the googly eyes and blue fur of an attorney who donned the head of Sesame Street's Grover to tell them that performers wearing the fluorescent bodysuits of other beloved Muppets discriminated against children at a Pennsylvania theme park because of the color of their skin.

  • May 07, 2024

    Panera To Nix 'Charged' Drink At Center Of Death Suits

    Panera Bread Co. will soon no longer serve its "Charged Lemonade," the caffeinated drink at the center of two lawsuits that claim the restaurant chain is liable for the wrongful death of two patrons.

  • May 06, 2024

    Asiana Airlines Says $50M Catering Award Can't Be Enforced

    South Korea's Asiana Airlines has urged a California federal court not to enforce a $50 million arbitral award issued to a catering company, saying the underlying contract, which guaranteed the caterer "unheard of profits," was only inked in exchange for a bribe paid to its disgraced former chairman.

  • May 06, 2024

    Judge Weighs Discovery Need On McD's No-Poach Standard

    No-poach antitrust litigation against McDonald's is getting back underway in Illinois federal court following the U.S. Supreme Court's refusal of the fast food giant's appeal, spurring the district court judge to consider whether more discovery might be needed to determine the appropriate standard that will govern the case.

  • May 06, 2024

    Fla. Judge Tosses Suit To Remove Miami Official From Office

    A Florida state court judge on Monday threw out a lawsuit brought by two real estate developers seeking to unseat a Miami commissioner from office over civil rights violations, citing a lack of standing to sue because they aren't residents of the city.

  • May 06, 2024

    Marriott Sued For Ditching Doctors To Accommodate LA Rams

    An association of orthopedic doctors filed a lawsuit Monday in Maryland federal court accusing Marriott of bailing on the medical professionals' annual meeting in favor of the Los Angeles Rams after the team demanded accommodations.

  • May 06, 2024

    Ritz-Carlton Defeats Post-Hurricane Layoff Claims At 1st Circ.

    The First Circuit has said a Puerto Rico federal judge was right to rule in favor of a Ritz-Carlton hotel in a suit by a proposed class of employees who claimed they were wrongfully laid off after the island was decimated by back-to-back hurricanes in 2017.

  • May 03, 2024

    6th Circ. Drops Bettors' Appeal Over Doped Derby Horse

    Kentucky Derby gamblers who claimed they had winning bets after officials disqualified the race's lead horse cannot sue Churchill Downs or the horse's Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, the Sixth Circuit ruled, saying courts can't "turn a losing wager into a winning one."

  • May 03, 2024

    Ill. Hilton Operators Slapped With Time-Tracking BIPA Suits

    Hilton workers have hit several hotel operators in the Chicago area with a proposed class action and an individual lawsuit in Illinois state court, accusing the hotels of illegally collecting and retaining workers' biometric data to keep track of workers' hours in violation of the state Biometric Information Privacy Act.

  • May 03, 2024

    Grubhub Urges Justices Not To Review Kroger TM Dispute

    Grubhub told the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday that there's no need for the justices to review the Seventh Circuit's recent finding that consumers are unlikely to confuse Grubhub's logo with a logo used by Kroger's meal-kit delivery service Home Chef, arguing the trademark case doesn't raise a novel issue warranting review.

  • May 02, 2024

    Barnes & Noble Joins Visa, Mastercard Settlement Objectors

    A new collection of major retailers is joining Target Corp. and Grubhub in objecting to a proposed settlement deal cut by Visa and Mastercard, saying the deal would actually codify an illegal price-fixing agreement.

  • May 02, 2024

    Activist Files New Proxy Fight In REIT Takeover Attempt

    Activist investor Blackwells Capital LLC continued its campaign against hospitality executive Monty J. Bennett by separately urging shareholders of Braemar Hotels & Resorts Inc. and an advisory firm that Bennett controls to approve a board shake-up during upcoming annual meetings.

  • May 01, 2024

    Settlement Ends Texas Man's Injury Suit Against Ga. Winery

    A Texas man and Georgia winery have reached a settlement ending the man's suit alleging he was injured during a 2021 visit when a patio umbrella came out of its stand, fell on him and injured his hands, fingers, thumb and chest.

  • May 01, 2024

    DC Circ. Scrutinizes Social Welfare In Tribe's Land Trust Bid

    The D.C. Circuit on Wednesday grappled with whether a Native American tribe's bid to compel the federal government to take land into trust for a casino venture would promote tribe members' social welfare, as one judge sounded wary of such a move's repercussions.

  • May 01, 2024

    Hotel Chains Hit With Algorithmic Pricing Collusion Suit

    A group of hotel-goers has hit six major hotel chains with a proposed class action, alleging that the companies used a shared pricing algorithm to fix and raise hotel prices nationwide.

  • May 01, 2024

    Chipotle Granted Win in Customer Change-Shorting Row

    A Pennsylvania federal judge gave Chipotle Mexican Grill an early win Wednesday in a lawsuit by customers alleging they were stiffed out of change during a coin shortage, finding that because the customers agreed to not receive coin change during their transactions, they can't reasonably argue the fast food giant did anything wrong.

  • May 01, 2024

    Carnival Fails To Ditch 'Far From Perfect' Hot-Soup Suit

    Carnival Cruise Lines can't escape a lawsuit seeking to hold it liable for second- and third-degree burns that a passenger suffered when hot soup spilled on her legs, a Florida federal judge has ruled, saying the complaint — "while not perfect" — gets the job done and can survive at this stage of litigation.

  • May 01, 2024

    Eateries Note 'Fatal' Concession By Insurer In NC COVID Row

    Cincinnati Insurance Co. made a "fatal" concession when it argued that "physical loss" merely requires "some sort of dispossession," a group of 16 restaurants told the North Carolina Supreme Court, urging it to reinstate their COVID-19 coverage win that got reversed on appeal. 

Expert Analysis

  • A Refresher On Alcohol Sponsorships Before The Super Bowl

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    As millions of people will see in Super Bowl commercials Sunday, celebrity sponsorships continue to be a valuable tool for alcohol beverage marketers — and those looking to better target audiences must understand how regulation of the alcohol industry affects these deals, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Reimagining Law Firm Culture To Break The Cycle Of Burnout

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    While attorney burnout remains a perennial issue in the legal profession, shifting post-pandemic expectations mean that law firms must adapt their office cultures to retain talent, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: Brazil

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    Environmental, social and governance issues have increasingly translated into new legislation in Brazil since 2020, and in the wake of these recently enacted regulations, we are likely to see a growing number of legal disputes in the largest South American country related to ESG issues such as greenwashing if companies are not prepared to adequately adapt and comply, say attorneys at Mattos Filho.

  • Vagueness In Calif. Climate Law Makes Compliance Tricky

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    California's recently enacted Voluntary Carbon Market Disclosures Act requires companies making claims of carbon neutrality, or significant greenhouse gas emissions reductions, to disclose information supporting those claims — but vague and conflicting language in the statute poses multiple problems for businesses, say John Rousakis and Chris Bowman at O'Melveny.

  • Series

    Competing In Dressage Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My lifelong participation in the sport of dressage — often called ballet on horses — has proven that several skills developed through training and competition are transferable to legal work, especially the ability to harness focus, persistence and versatility when negotiating a deal, says Stephanie Coco at V&E.

  • Algorithmic Pricing Programs Caught In Antitrust Crosshairs

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    The Justice Department's investigation into software company RealPage follows a host of federal antitrust cases alleging that property owners and casino hotel operators use the same proprietary software programs to fix and maintain pricing, which means algorithmic pricing programs are considered a key price-fixing tool in the digital age, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • What's At Stake In High Court NLRB Injunction Case

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    William Baker at Wigdor examines the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision to hear Starbucks v. McKinney — where it will consider a long-standing circuit split over the standard for evaluating National Labor Relations Board injunction bids — and explains why the justices’ eventual decision, either way, is unlikely to be a significant blow to labor.

  • The Legal Industry Needs A Cybersecurity Paradigm Shift

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    As law firms face ever-increasing risks of cyberattacks and ransomware incidents, the legal industry must implement robust cybersecurity measures and privacy-centric practices to preserve attorney-client privilege, safeguard client trust and uphold the profession’s integrity, says Ryan Paterson at Unplugged.

  • 5 Reasons Associates Shouldn't Take A Job Just For Money

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    As a number of BigLaw firms increase salary scales for early-career attorneys, law students and lateral associates considering new job offers should weigh several key factors that may matter more than financial compensation, say Albert Tawil at Lateral Hub and Ruvin Levavi at Power Forward.

  • Series

    Playing Competitive Tennis Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My experience playing competitive tennis has highlighted why prioritizing exercise and stress relief, maintaining perspective under pressure, and supporting colleagues in pursuit of a common goal are all key aspects of championing a successful legal career, says Madhumita Datta at Lowenstein Sandler.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Djerassi On Super Bowl 52

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    Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas Judge Ramy Djerassi discusses how Super Bowl 52, in which the Philadelphia Eagles prevailed over the New England Patriots, provides an apt metaphor for alternative dispute resolution processes in commercial business cases.

  • Employee Experience Strategy Can Boost Law Firm Success

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    Amid continuing business uncertainty, law firms should consider adopting a holistic employee experience strategy — prioritizing consistency, targeting signature moments and leveraging measurement tools — to maximize productivity and profitability, says Haley Revel at Calibrate Consulting.

  • Series

    Competing In Triathlons Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While practicing law and competing in long-distance triathlons can make work and life feel unbalanced at times, participating in the sport has revealed important lessons about versatility, self-care and perseverance that apply to the office as much as they do the racecourse, says Laura Heusel at Butler Snow.

  • Where Justices Stand On Chevron Doctrine Post-Argument

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    Following recent oral argument at the U.S. Supreme Court, at least four justices appear to be in favor of overturning the long-standing Chevron deference, and three justices seem ready to uphold it, which means the ultimate decision may rest on Chief Justice John Roberts' vote, say Wayne D'Angelo and Zachary Lee at Kelley Drye.

  • Perspectives

    6 Practice Pointers For Pro Bono Immigration Practice

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    An attorney taking on their first pro bono immigration matter may find the law and procedures beguiling, but understanding key deadlines, the significance of individual immigration judges' rules and specialized aspects of the practice can help avoid common missteps, says Steven Malm at Haynes Boone.

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