Hospitality

  • April 25, 2025

    Tort Report: Texas Justices Set Dram Shop Standard

    The Texas Supreme Court's clarification of a bar's liability in a suit over the alleged overserving of alcohol and a suit over a Boeing whistleblower's suicide lead Law360's Tort Report, which compiles recent personal injury and medical malpractice news that may have flown under the radar.

  • April 25, 2025

    Off The Bench: NIL Deal Drama, Oakley v. MSG, Transfer Rules

    In this week's Off The Bench, the landmark $2.78 billion settlement to compensate college athletes hits a snag, a former New York Knick's assault case against Madison Square Garden may be on shaky ground, and Vanderbilt University's quarterback fights to protect his successful challenge against the NCAA's eligibility rules.

  • April 25, 2025

    Bertucci's Says Uncertain Economy Sparked Latest Ch. 11

    Italian food chain Bertucci's filed for bankruptcy protection for the third time since 2018, telling a Florida bankruptcy court it is over $32 million in debt and dealing with industry headwinds and the "unanticipated deterioration" of the U.S. economy.

  • April 24, 2025

    11th Circ. Considers Sackett's Impact In Clean Water Suit

    Green groups and citizens who alleged Georgia's Sea Island resort misled the Army Corps of Engineers about a wetlands filling project urged the Eleventh Circuit to revive their suit Thursday, with the groups and resort arguing the Supreme Court's 2023 ruling in Sackett v. EPA worked in their favor.

  • April 24, 2025

    Starbucks Sued Over Human Rights Abuses On Coffee Farms

    The supply chain for Starbucks' Brazilian coffee is rife with slavery-like conditions and child labor, coffee plantation workers have said in a lawsuit, alleging they were forced to work for suppliers of the global coffee chain under "debt bondage" and threats of violence.

  • April 23, 2025

    Gaming Site Says Consumer's Suit Must Be Arbitrated

    The Cypriot operator of online "social gaming platform" Stake.us is urging a California federal court to order a consumer to arbitrate his lawsuit looking to shut down the website on allegations it offers illegal gambling, saying the validity of an underlying contract should be left to an arbitrator.

  • April 23, 2025

    Judge Says Calif. Tribes Can't Intervene In $700M Casino Row

    A District of Columbia federal judge refused on Wednesday to allow three California tribes and a company to intervene in another California tribe's suit accusing the federal government of wrongfully rescinding gambling eligibility for the tribe's $700 million casino project.

  • April 23, 2025

    Dolphin Encounter Co. Says Ex-CEO Took Over HQ By Force

    A restructuring professional retained by the bankrupt subsidiaries of The Dolphin Co. said in sworn court filings that the debtor's former CEO seized control of the business's Mexican headquarters earlier this month with the help of a cadre of armed men.

  • April 23, 2025

    Colo. Resort Developer Nixes Suit To Pursue Barbuda Claims

    A Colorado-based resort developer has voluntarily dismissed a Denver District Court lawsuit accusing a business partner on a Barbuda resort project of violating a noncompete by working on a similar resort, and plans to pursue his claims through a case in Barbuda, according to the developer's lawyer.

  • April 23, 2025

    Saladworks Operator Must Face Worker's Unpaid OT Suit

    A Pennsylvania-based franchisee of fast-casual salad eatery Saladworks cannot escape a proposed collective action accusing it of misclassifying assistant managers as overtime-exempt, a federal judge ruled Wednesday, rejecting the company's argument that there aren't enough assistant managers to support a collective.

  • April 23, 2025

    New Videos Undercut Ex-Knick's Assault Claim, Judge Hints

    A federal judge said Wednesday that new videos appear to show former New York Knicks player Charles Oakley slipping — not being pushed — during a 2017 altercation with Madison Square Garden security, evidence MSG's lawyers say disposes of his assault claims.

  • April 22, 2025

    Wyndham Must Face Suit Alleging It Enabled Sex Trafficking

    A New Jersey federal judge Tuesday rejected Wyndham Hotels' bid to escape a woman's lawsuit accusing the company and one of its franchisees of ignoring signs she was trafficked for sex at a Hawthorne Suites in Northern California, finding the woman sufficiently alleged Wyndham was liable for her injuries.

  • April 22, 2025

    DOJ Wants Time During 9th Circ. Vegas Room Rate Arguments

    The U.S. Department of Justice has asked to participate in the Ninth Circuit argument for an appeal from Las Vegas casino-hotel guests accusing the operators of using software to inflate room rates, the first algorithmic price-fixing case to reach an appeals court.

  • April 22, 2025

    Death Suit Against Jet Ski Co. Meets Skeptical Wash. Panel

    A Washington state appellate panel expressed skepticism on Tuesday of a family's appeal in a wrongful death case against a jet ski rental shop, with one judge suggesting it was "total speculation" that the fatal accident was triggered by high winds the business should have warned patrons about.

  • April 21, 2025

    Royal Caribbean Faces Class Action Over Hidden Cameras

    A putative class suing Royal Caribbean after a now-former employee secretly placed a hidden camera in their rooms is fighting the cruise line's bid to force their damages claims into arbitration, saying it's "absurd" to argue that they agreed to waive their right to litigate such claims.

  • April 21, 2025

    Dropped Suit Doesn't Support 'Vexatious' Claims, Court Told

    The Connecticut employment law firm Hayber McKenna & Dinsmore LLC "cannot ever, under any circumstances" prove that a series of unfair trade practices cases brought by five restaurant chains ended in its favor, so it cannot pursue vexatious litigation claims against two attorneys who filed them, defense counsel said Monday during oral argument in Hartford.

  • April 21, 2025

    Miami Officials Claim Immunity In Developers' Retaliation Suit

    Miami officials urged a Florida federal judge on Monday to toss a lawsuit brought by two property developers and several associated businesses alleging that they were cited with building code violations for political reasons, claiming immunity because they were just doing their jobs.

  • April 21, 2025

    Eateries Owner Gets 3 Years For Tax, COVID Fraud

    A restaurant owner who committed tax crimes and illegally collected more than $1.7 million in pandemic relief money was sentenced to more than three years in prison by a California federal judge, a fraction of the sentence urged by prosecutors who pointed to millions in cash hidden in his bedroom.

  • April 21, 2025

    Former Knicks Player Takes A Shot At Sanctions Against MSG

    Former New York Knicks player Charles Oakley has moved for spoliation sanctions against Madison Square Garden and its counsel for allegedly failing to preserve emails, text messages and other material related to his federal assault suit, accusing the venue's operators of having "conveniently lost a lot of information about this case."

  • April 18, 2025

    DOJ Accuses Uniform Supplier Of Dodging Customs Duties

    The U.S. Department of Justice has slapped a fast food uniform supplier and its Chinese-based manufacturers with a complaint in California federal court, alleging they conspired to underpay customs duties owed on apparel imported from China. 

  • April 18, 2025

    11th Circ. Revives Fla. Lodge's Bad Faith Claim Over Shooting

    The Eleventh Circuit on Friday reversed a $3.3 million judgment against a Florida lodge over a shooting that resulted in a woman's death, finding in a split ruling a jury should decide the bad faith issue of whether its insurer should've offered to settle based on the premises' liability.

  • April 18, 2025

    6th Circ. Upholds American Airlines' Win In Hidden-Fee Suit

    American Airlines secured a Sixth Circuit panel's ruling Friday affirming the toss of customer claims that the airline wasn't transparent about making money from a third-party travel assistance product offered to customers during the booking process.

  • April 18, 2025

    Fla. Jury Hits Expedia With $30M Helms-Burton Verdict

    A Miami jury on Friday said Expedia and three related entities owe $29.85 million after finding the online booking companies liable for violating the Helms-Burton Act's anti-trafficking provision by offering reservations for resorts on a barrier island seized by Fidel Castro's government.

  • April 17, 2025

    Cuban Island Owner Wants $36M In Helms-Burton Case

    A Cuban-American man who says he is the rightful heir to an island off the coast of Cuba that was seized by the Communist government asked a Miami jury on Thursday for an award of more than $36 million against Expedia, which the man claims illegally trafficked in the stolen property by offering reservations for resorts on the island through its website.

  • April 17, 2025

    Travel Tech Co. Accused Of Misclassifying Sales Workers

    A travel technology company incorrectly classifies sales employees as exempt from earning overtime wages despite their job duties not falling under any overtime exemption, a proposed class action filed in Colorado state court said.

Expert Analysis

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Note 3 Simple Types Of Legal Complexity

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    Cases can appear complex for several reasons — due to the number of issues, the volume of factual and evidentiary sources, and the sophistication of those sources — but the same basic technique can help lawyers tame their arguments into a simple and persuasive message, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • Tracking The Uncertainty Of The FTC's Negative Option Rule

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    The fate of the Federal Trade Commission's final rule requiring businesses that utilize negative options to provide consumers with a simple cancellation method remains in limbo as it faces multiple legal challenges and the threat of possible congressional action looms, say attorneys at Manatt.

  • Series

    Gardening Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Beyond its practical and therapeutic benefits, gardening has bolstered important attributes that also apply to my litigation practice, including persistence, patience, grit and authenticity, says Christopher Viceconte at Gibbons.

  • Takeaways From DOJ's Intervention On Pricing Algorithm Use

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    A recent U.S. Justice Department amicus brief arguing that a Nevada federal judge wrongly focused on the nonbinding aspect of software company Cendyn Group's pricing algorithm underscores the growing challenge of determining when, if ever, pricing algorithms are legal, say attorneys at Rule Garza.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review

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    For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • A View Into NY's New Business Interruption Insurance Law

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    In response to businesses' economic challenges during the pandemic, New York recently allowed the issuance of stand-alone business interruption insurance coverage, and while pricing and insurer participation questions remain, the product stands to benefit business owners and the state economy, say attorneys at Saxe Doernberger.

  • How Boards And Officers Should Prep For New Trump Admin

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    In anticipation of President-elect Donald Trump's proposed tariffs and mass deportation campaign, company officers and board members should pursue proactive, comprehensive contingency planning to not only advance the best interests of the companies they serve, but to also properly exercise their fiduciary duty of care, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

  • California Supreme Court's Year In Review

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    Attorneys at Horvitz & Levy highlight notable decisions on major questions from the California Supreme Court's last term, including voter initiatives, hostile work environment and the economic loss rule.

  • Series

    Flying Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Achieving my childhood dream of flying airplanes made me a better lawyer — and a better person — because it taught me I can conquer difficult goals when I leave my comfort zone, focus on the demands of the moment and commit to honing my skills, says Ivy Cadle at Baker Donelson.

  • With Precautions, AI Can Help With Suspicious Activity Filings

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    While artificial intelligence can enhance suspicious activity report processes, financial services firms should review applicable expectations and areas of deficiencies that can lead to enforcement actions before using AI to help write SARs, say attorneys at Jenner.

  • What Trump's Next Term May Mean For Biz Immigration

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    Leonard D'Arrigo at Harris Beach discusses the employment-based immigration policies businesses can potentially expect during President-elect Donald Trump’s second term, based on policies enacted during his first administration, statements made during his campaign and proposals in Project 2025.

  • Lessons From EEOC Case Of Fla. Worker Fired After Stillbirth

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    A recent federal court settlement between a Florida resort and a fired line cook shows that the U.S. Equal Opportunity Employment Commission sees stillbirth as protected under the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, also providing four other important lessons, says Gordon Berger at Pierson Ferdinand.

  • Series

    Circus Arts Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Performing circus arts has strengthened my ability to be more thoughtful, confident and grounded, all of which has enhanced my legal practice and allowed me to serve clients in a more meaningful way, says Bailey McGowan at Stinson.

  • 3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less

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    Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.

  • The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule

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    Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.

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