Food & Beverage

  • September 02, 2025

    Ex-Target Legal Chief To See $3M In 'Income Continuation' Pay

    Target's former chief legal and compliance officer, who left the retailer in June after less than a year, is set to receive just over $3 million in "income continuation" payments, according to a securities filing Friday.

  • September 02, 2025

    Skadden, Paul Weiss Guiding Kraft Heinz On Strategic Split

    The Kraft Heinz Co. announced a plan Tuesday to separate into two independent, publicly traded companies, in a strategic transaction guided by legal advisers Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP.

  • August 29, 2025

    Ga. Sheriff Scores Early Win In Bar License Suspension Row

    A Georgia federal judge has granted the Bibb County sheriff an early win in a bar operator's suit claiming the venue's alcohol licenses was wrongfully suspended for 90 days after a drive-by shooting that killed one person and injured seven others.

  • August 29, 2025

    NC Tex-Mex Chain Says Ex-Employee Defected With Recipes

    The owner of a string of Tex-Mex restaurants has accused a former employee in North Carolina Business Court of taking the chain's proprietary recipes, menus, drinks and decor several states away to use at another restaurant in Missouri.

  • August 29, 2025

    4 Firms Advise As PepsiCo Adds $585M Celsius Stake

    PepsiCo Inc. said on Friday it has acquired $585 million of newly issued 5% convertible preferred stock in Celsius Holdings Inc., part of a broader effort to fine-tune its presence in the U.S. and Canadian energy drink markets, in a deal guided by four law firms.

  • August 29, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: White & Case, Paul Weiss

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, private equity firm Sycamore Partners completes its $24 billion acquisition of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., telecommunications company EchoStar sells wireless spectrum licenses to AT&T and Keurig Dr Pepper acquires JDE Peet's in a deal that aims to create a "global coffee champion."

  • August 28, 2025

    Ga. Family Loses Sex Assault Suit Over Underage Drinking

    The Georgia Court of Appeals said this week a couple can't sue the owner of a home where the couple's teenage daughter was allegedly sexually assaulted, ruling that state law shielded the owner from liability despite allegations he allowed underage drinking at the house.

  • August 28, 2025

    DOJ Seeks Kroger Patient Data In Opioid FCA Probe

    The U.S. Department of Justice urged an Ohio federal court to order The Kroger Co. to turn over patient names and other health information the supermarket chain has redacted in responses to the government throughout a False Claims Act investigation into its opioid dispensing practices.

  • August 28, 2025

    Cincoro Tequila Falls Short Of 'Gold Standard,' Suit Says

    Cincoro tequila isn't truly 100% agave under authenticity and quality regulatory standards, but instead contains significant amounts of ethanol "not derived from agave plants," a proposed class action filed in Florida federal court alleges.

  • August 28, 2025

    PBGC Must Reconsider Bakery Union's $132M Bailout Bid

    The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. must formally reexamine whether union bakery drivers can collect $132 million from a federal pension rescue program, a New York federal judge said Thursday after lifting a stay on the order following the Second Circuit's decision to reject the agency's rehearing bid.

  • August 28, 2025

    Labor Atty Rejoins McGuireWoods After Food Company Stint

    McGuireWoods LLP announced Wednesday that it has welcomed an alumnus back to its labor and employment team following his stint as an associate general counsel for packaged meat company Smithfield Foods Inc.

  • August 27, 2025

    Stew Leonard's, Cookie Co. Face Trimmed Allergy Death Case

    Grocery chain Stew Leonard's and a manufacturer must face punitive damages and product liability claims by the estate of a professional dancer who ate mislabeled cookies and died from an allergic reaction, but both companies won't have to face stand-alone wrongful death claims under a separate statute, a Connecticut judge has ruled.

  • August 27, 2025

    Splenda Maker Knows It Contains Toxic Chemical, Scientist Says

    A scientist accused of falsely stating that Splenda contains cancer-causing chemicals asked a North Carolina federal court to amend her counterclaims, alleging that Splenda-maker TC Heartland LLC has performed tests showing the sweetener contains the very chemical she warned of.

  • August 27, 2025

    Grubhub Agrees To Pay $7M To End Restaurants' TM Suit

    Several restaurants told an Illinois federal judge they have reached an agreement with Grubhub under which the food delivery service will pay $7.1 million to resolve claims it used their trademarks without permission.

  • August 27, 2025

    Bone Broth Co. Inflated Protein Amounts, Suit Claims

    Two consumers on Tuesday hit a bone-broth maker with a proposed class action suit in California federal court alleging that the company took advantage of recent trends for high-protein foods by mislabeling the nutrient content of its products.

  • August 27, 2025

    Faegre Drinker Says Investor Can't Call Biz Loss Malpractice

    Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP told a New Jersey state court this week that a malpractice suit it faces from a real estate investor is nothing more than an attempt by the investor to shift responsibility for a failed investment.

  • August 26, 2025

    5th Circ. Revives Claims Against Tyson In COVID Death Suit

    A split Fifth Circuit panel on Tuesday reinstated a suit brought by a widow accusing Tyson Foods of negligently failing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 at an East Texas plant that caused the death of a worker, saying certain claims were not preempted by a federal food safety law.

  • August 26, 2025

    Uber Eats To Pay Couriers $15M To End Seattle's Wage Claims

    Uber Eats has inked a $15 million settlement to end allegations that it flouted the city of Seattle's worker protection laws by failing to pay drivers what they were promised, including bonus earnings and minimum payments for canceled fares. 

  • August 26, 2025

    DC Seeks Toss Of Challenge To Cannabinoid Rule

    There is nothing unconstitutional about the District of Columbia's laws which lump delta-9 THC into same category as marijuana and mandates all sellers to obtain a medical cannabis license, the city told a federal court, urging it to dismiss a lawsuit seeking to upend the city statutes filed by a hemp retailer whose shop was shut down.

  • August 26, 2025

    Hemp Interests Say Conn. Policy Inconsistent With Federal Law

    A group of Connecticut hemp farmers and product manufacturers alleged in a federal lawsuit Tuesday that the state's crackdown on hemp products is incompatible with the federal law that legalized it.

  • August 26, 2025

    Cert. In Pepperidge BIPA Action Sunk Over Counsel Conflict

    An Illinois appellate panel on Monday reversed a trial court's order certifying a class of Pepperidge Farm workers bringing biometric privacy claims, saying it improperly allowed the law firm of the lead plaintiff's daughter to remain as class counsel.

  • August 26, 2025

    Brewer Can't Challenge Home Distilling Ban, US Tells 6th Circ.

    A brewery owner who wants to make his own whiskey can't bring a suit challenging the tax code's prohibition on home distilleries because he hasn't shown that he's likely to start making spirits or that the government would come knocking if he does, the U.S. Treasury Department told the Sixth Circuit.

  • August 26, 2025

    Texas AG To Probe Heavy Metals In Baby Foods

    The Texas attorney general on Tuesday announced an investigation into leading baby food makers that may have deceptively advertised and sold products containing dangerously high levels of heavy metals, such as arsenic.

  • August 25, 2025

    Major Food Cos. Beat Suit Over Selling Kids Addictive Foods

    A Pennsylvania federal judge on Monday threw out a suit claiming that The Kraft Heinz Co., Nestle USA, General Mills and other major food companies are aggressively marketing highly addictive, ultra-processed foods to children, ruling that the plaintiff hasn't adequately alleged that he was harmed by the companies' products.

  • August 25, 2025

    NC Justices Serve State 2 Blows In Bars' COVID Closure Suits

    The North Carolina Supreme Court served bars dual victories in lawsuits against the state Friday, finding that the businesses had colorable claims under the state's constitution that COVID-19 closures violated their fundamental rights, thus permitting the cases to unfold in state trial court.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From NY Fed To BigLaw

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    While the move to private practice brings a learning curve, it also brings chances to learn new skills and grow your network, requiring a clear understanding of how your skills can complement and contribute to a firm's existing practice, and where you can add new value, says Meghann Donahue at Covington.

  • Berry Ruling Shows Why Plant IP Suits Can Be Thorny

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    A California federal court's recent decision in Driscoll's v. California Berry Cultivars illustrates that while a path exists for asserting U.S. plant patent rights against extraterritorial breeders, it can be difficult to prove infringement based on importation of plant parts, say Travis Bliss and Stephany Small at Panitch Schwarze.

  • Top 3 Litigation Finance Deal-Killers, And How To Avoid Them

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    Like all transactions, litigation finance deals can sometimes collapse, but understanding the most common reasons for failure, including a lack of trust or a misunderstanding of deal terms, can help both parties avoid problems, say Rebecca Berrebi at Avenue 33 and Boris Ziser at Schulte Roth.

  • How Attys Can Use A Therapy Model To Help Triggered Clients

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    Attorneys can lean on key principles from a psychotherapeutic paradigm known as the "Internal Family Systems" model to help manage triggered clients and get settlement negotiations back on track, says Jennifer Gibbs at Zelle.

  • 3 Steps For In-House Counsel To Assess Litigation Claims

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    Before a potential economic downturn, in-house attorneys should investigate whether their company is sitting on hidden litigation claims that could unlock large recoveries to help the business withstand tough times, says Will Burgess at Hilgers Graben.

  • Series

    Teaching College Students Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving as an adjunct college professor has taught me the importance of building rapport, communicating effectively, and persuading individuals to critically analyze the difference between what they think and what they know — principles that have helped to improve my practice of law, says Sheria Clarke at Nelson Mullins.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Enviro To Mid-Law

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    Practitioners leaving a longtime government role for private practice — as when I departed the U.S. Department of Justice’s environmental enforcement division — should prioritize finding a firm that shares their principles, values their experience and will invest in their transition, says John Cruden at Beveridge & Diamond.

  • Legal Ethics Considerations For Law Firm Pro Bono Deals

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    If a law firm enters into a pro bono deal with the Trump administration in exchange for avoiding or removing an executive order, it has an ethical obligation to create a written settlement agreement with specific terms, which would mitigate some potential conflict of interest problems, says Andrew Altschul at Buchanan Angeli.

  • Series

    Playing Football Made Me A Better Lawyer

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    While my football career ended over 15 years ago, the lessons the sport taught me about grit, accountability and resilience have stayed with me and will continue to help me succeed as an attorney, says Bert McBride at Trenam.

  • 10 Arbitrations And A 5th Circ. Ruling Flag Arb. Clause Risks

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    The ongoing arbitral saga of Sullivan v. Feldman, which has engendered proceedings before 10 different arbitrators in Texas and Louisiana along with last month's Fifth Circuit opinion, showcases both the risks and limitations of arbitration clauses in retainer agreements for resolving attorney-client disputes, says Christopher Blazejewski at Sherin and Lodgen.

  • Series

    Power To The Paralegals: The Value Of Unified State Licensing

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    Texas' proposal to become the latest state to license paraprofessional providers of limited legal services could help firms expand their reach and improve access to justice, but consumers, attorneys and allied legal professionals would benefit even more if similar programs across the country become more uniform, says Michael Houlberg at the University of Denver.

  • 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.

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