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Food & Beverage
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March 26, 2024
DC Circ. Rebukes NLRB's 'Nonsense' In Driver Camera Case
The D.C. Circuit on Tuesday vacated a National Labor Relations Board decision that found a produce company unlawfully disciplined a pro-union worker and gave another the impression he was being surveilled, calling the board's approach to the case "nonsense."
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March 26, 2024
Starbucks Settles Worker's Suit Alleging Manager Groped Her
Starbucks Corp. has settled a lawsuit with an employee who alleged her reports of groping and harassment by a manger resulted in a retaliatory investigation, stunting her career with the coffee chain.
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March 26, 2024
NY Urges 2nd Circ. To Deny Tribe's Eel Fishing Challenge
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation called on the Second Circuit to uphold a lower court's rejection of the Unkechaug Indian Nation's challenge to the agency's regulations on eel harvests, saying contrary to the tribe's arguments, they're not preempted by any federal treaty or statute.
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March 26, 2024
Ill. Judge Needs More Info To OK $57M Chicken Antitrust Fee
An Illinois federal judge overseeing a sprawling antitrust litigation against broiler chicken producers said he couldn't rule on class counsel's renewed bid for a $57 million attorney fee award thrown out by the Seventh Circuit last year without more information on one of the firm's graduated fee arrangements in a similar 2015 antitrust case, which wasn't disclosed in the first go-around.
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March 26, 2024
K&L Gates Consumer Products Chair Joins Venable In LA
Venable LLP said Monday that the co-chair of K&L Gates LLP's commercial litigation practice and chair of its consumer products and beauty and wellness practice groups has joined the firm's Los Angeles office as a partner.
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March 26, 2024
Fishery Says Request For DOL Cooperators' Names Is Fair
The federal government cannot withhold information regarding an ongoing wage theft investigation, a fishery told a Mississippi federal court, because the probe is inextricably linked with claims that the company retaliated against employees who cooperated.
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March 26, 2024
2nd Circ. Revives Gender Bias Case Against Grocery Chain
A district court applied too harsh a standard when it dismissed a fired manager's sex bias suit against a supermarket chain, the Second Circuit said Tuesday, in a ruling that sought to "demystify" the test for assessing whether some discrimination claims can move to trial.
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March 25, 2024
Merchants Hit AmEx With Antitrust Claims Over Its Fee Rules
American Express faces a proposed merchant class action alleging it violated federal antitrust law by barring businesses from taking certain measures to keep their credit card swipe costs down.
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March 25, 2024
NOAA Allots $60M To Help Columbia River Salmon
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said it plans to allocate $60 million of Inflation Reduction Act funding to pay for overdue maintenance and repairs at hatchery facilities in the Columbia River Basin, which will further tribal priorities and help address climate change impacts facing salmon and steelhead populations.
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March 25, 2024
Kroger Says Sweetened Merger Deal Will Sink Antitrust Doubts
Kroger told a Colorado state judge Monday that it plans to "enhance" its $24.6 billion Albertson's merger to satisfy federal and state regulators, a plan it did not yet describe in detail and that Colorado said it has not seen.
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March 25, 2024
InBev's Modelo Loses 2nd Circ. Appeal In Hard Seltzer Fight
The Second Circuit said Monday that a licensing agreement between Anheuser-Busch InBev SA and Constellation Brands was ambiguous about whether hard seltzers are beer, affirming a New York federal judge's order to let jurors decide the question at a trial where Constellation Brands prevailed against claims of trademark infringement.
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March 25, 2024
Chiquita MDL Parties Urge Fla. Judge To Ax Trial Testimony
Parties in the multidistrict litigation against Chiquita Brands urged a Florida federal judge Monday to exclude each other's witnesses ahead of the upcoming bellwether trials, saying they were not timely disclosed and have no direct knowledge of the claims in the case.
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March 25, 2024
TreeHouse Shareholders Get New Chance To Sue Execs
An Illinois appellate panel reversed a Cook County judge Friday and revived a derivative lawsuit demanding that TreeHouse Foods sue three individual executives the shareholders claim materially misled them by falsely stating that two newly acquired companies were being successfully integrated into the food company's operations.
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March 25, 2024
Cannabis Bill Roundup: NY Targets Illicit Pot Sellers
New York lawmakers introduced legislation to punish unlicensed cannabis sellers, Hawaii legislators made modifications to a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana, and a Connecticut bill targeting synthetic cannabinoids was referred to a legislative research office. Here are the major moves in cannabis legislation from the past week.
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March 25, 2024
Farmers, Attys Say USDA Bias Payouts Can't Snub Fee Deals
A pair of law firms from Ohio and Florida and their farmer clients have asked a federal judge to block the U.S. Department of Agriculture from paying out $2.2 billion in assistance directly to minority farmers it discriminated against, claiming the government disregarded contingent-fee agreements between the firms and the farmers.
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March 22, 2024
Edible Arrangements' Prior Deal Forecloses IP Row With Rival
A Georgia federal judge ended Edible Arrangements' trademark suit accusing 1-800-Flowers.com of bidding on and buying keywords related to Edible's products for search engine advertisements, finding the parties' prior settlement releasing 1-800-Flowers from similar conduct challenged by Edible in Connecticut federal court years ago barred its current action.
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March 22, 2024
Jones Soda Says Partner Contaminated 'Off-Flavor' Drinks
A contractor breached a beverage production deal with Seattle's Jones Soda Co. by canning a batch of lemon-coconut drinks that were unfit to sell because of "an indisputable off-flavor," according to a complaint filed by the soda company in Washington federal court.
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March 22, 2024
EU Pushes For Steep Tariffs On Russian And Belarusian Grain
The European Commission said Friday that it's working to constrain Russia's ability to fund its war against Ukraine by increasing tariffs on cereal, oil seed and grain product imports from Russia and its Union State partner, Belarus.
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March 22, 2024
Commerce Lifts Block On Transnational Subsidy Probes
The U.S. Department of Commerce erased a nearly 40-year-old regulation on Friday so it can impose countervailing duties on subsidies China provides its trade partners, despite opposition from foreign governments that the move would conflict with World Trade Organization obligations.
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March 22, 2024
Top Dutch Court Blocks Russia's Last Bid For Vodka TMs
Former Yukos Oil Co. shareholders said Friday that the Netherlands' top court has thrown out Russia's final bid to stop their seizure of over a dozen renowned Russian vodka trademarks in an effort to enforce $50 billion in arbitral awards.
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March 22, 2024
Del. Courts Examining 'Colonoscopy'-Like Bylaw Rules
Invasive advance-notice bylaws that some observers say make shareholder board nominations as intrusive as a "colonoscopy" are reviving old questions in Delaware courts about how far boards can go to protect themselves against shareholder activism.
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March 21, 2024
Burford, Sysco Get OK To Swap Bid In Price-Fixing Cases
An Illinois federal judge on Thursday agreed to allow an affiliate of legal investment firm Burford Capital to substitute for food giant Sysco in price-fixing litigation against broiler chicken producers, a ruling that comes a month after a Minnesota federal judge refused to allow the same Burford unit to substitute for Sysco in similar pork and beef price-fixing litigation.
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March 21, 2024
UN Cautiously Optimistic For Trade 'Rebound' This Year
Global trade in both goods and services was up in the first quarter of 2024, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development reported Thursday, forecasting a "rebound" this year after a difficult 2023.
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March 21, 2024
AGs Urge Congress To Address Hemp Intoxicants In Farm Bill
A bipartisan coalition of 21 attorneys general is urging Congress to address what the state officials call a public health and safety crisis by amending federal hemp policy to clarify that intoxicating products derived from hemp extracts are not legal under federal law.
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March 21, 2024
6th Circ. Revives McKee's Network Plan Fight With Thrifty Med
The Sixth Circuit reinstated on Thursday McKee Foods Corp.'s suit against Thrifty MedPlus Pharmacy alleging Tennessee law requiring pharmacy benefit managers to let "any willing pharmacies" participate in a network was preempted by the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, finding that amendments made to the statute didn't render McKee's claims moot.
Expert Analysis
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Opinion
Judicial Independence Needs Defense Amid Political Threats
Amid recent and historic challenges to the judiciary from political forces, safeguarding judicial independence and maintaining the integrity of the legal system is increasingly urgent, says Robert Peck at the Center for Constitutional Litigation.
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Assessing D&O Coverage Amid Challenges To DEI Policies
As the recent backlash against corporate diversity, equity and inclusion policies leads to shareholder litigation and other legal challenges, companies bolstering their DEI efforts should ensure that their directors and officers and employment practices' liability insurance policies provide sufficient coverage for potential claims, say Peter Gillon and Patrick Blood at Pillsbury.
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How Law Firms Can Use Account-Based Marketing Strategies
Amid several evolving legal industry trends, account-based marketing can help law firms uncover additional revenue-generating opportunities with existing clients, with key considerations ranging from data analytics to relationship building, say Jennifer Ramsey at stage LLC and consultant Gina Sponzilli.
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Navigating Over-The-Counter Product Ads After FTC Warning
Attorneys at Hunton examine advertising substantiation requirements under both the Federal Trade Commission Act and Lanham Act, following recent FTC letters informing hundreds of companies that over-the-counter product marketing claims must be corroborated by scientific evidence.
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AGs' Distaste For Food Bill May Signal Other State Issues
States' recent opposition to a proposed federal law that would block them from regulating out-of-state agricultural production could affect issues beyond this narrow debate, such as the balance of state and federal regulatory power, reproductive rights post-Dobbs, and energy production and water use, say Christopher Allen and Stephen Cobb at Cozen O'Connor.
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Strategic Succession Planning At Law Firms Is Crucial
Senior partners' reluctance to retire, the rise of the nonequity partner tier and generational differences in expectations are all contributing to an increasing number of departures from BigLaw, making it imperative for firms to encourage retirement among senior ranks and provide clearer leadership pathways to junior attorneys, says Laura Leopard at Leopard Solutions.
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Cases Linking Baby Food, Autism Pose Causation Challenges
Major baby food producers are now in the crosshairs of regulators, consumer advocates and plaintiffs attorneys over allegations their products contain heavy metals that harm children's development — but it will be difficult for plaintiffs to establish causation, as shown by the lengthy court battles over tobacco and talc, says Vineet Dubey at Custodio & Dubey.
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What Marijuana Status Change Would Mean For Industry
If the Drug Enforcement Administration accepts the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ recent recommendation to change marijuana’s classification under federal law, it would be a significant regulatory shift that could foster many industry benefits — but questions, risks and uncertainties at both the state and federal levels would remain, say attorneys at Neal Gerber.
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6 Lessons From Direct Selling Industry's Win Over FTC
A Texas federal court’s recent decision in favor of a direct selling company in Federal Trade Commission v. Neora offers long-awaited clarity on what constitutes a pyramid scheme, and lessons for companies seeking to prove their sales are consistent with genuine demand, say Monica Zhong and Branko Jovanovic at Edgeworth.
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Calif. Climate Disclosure Bills Promise Challenges For Cos.
Two novel climate disclosure bills recently passed by the California Legislature will pose challenges for many businesses — especially private companies that are less familiar with climate-related reporting obligations — and will require investments of significant time and effort in processes, procedures and personnel, say John Rousakis and Chris Bowman at O'Melveny.
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Maximizing Law Firm Profitability In Uncertain Times
As threats of an economic downturn loom, firms can boost profits by embracing the power of bottom-line management and creating an ecosystem where strategic financial oversight and robust timekeeping practices meet evolved client relations, says Shireen Hilal at Maior Strategic Consulting.
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Tips For Student Visa Applicants Mired In Processing Delays
Notwithstanding procedural changes at the U.S. Department of State that provided hope for more timely and predictable visa processing outcomes, international student applications continue to risk becoming bogged down in administrative processing, but certain steps may improve the situation, say Carl Risch and Lauren Epstein at Mayer Brown.
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Do Website Accessibility Suits Violate Hobbs Act, RICO?
As more website accessibility lawsuits are filed on behalf of people with visual impairments, attorneys' settlement demands may be extortionate under the Hobbs Act, and may also constitute an act of racketeering, giving rise to civil causes of action, say Nika Aldrich and Amanda Kohls at Schwabe Williamson.
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5th Circ. Ruling Reminds Attys That CBP Can Search Devices
The Fifth Circuit’s recent Malik v. Department of Homeland Security decision adds to the chorus of federal courts holding that border agents don’t need a warrant to search travelers’ electronic devices, so attorneys should consider certain special precautions to secure privileged information when reentering the U.S., says Jennifer Freel at Jackson Walker.
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Pesticide Labeling Bill, 9th Circ. Case Could Cut Prop 65 Suits
Both a pending bill in the U.S. House of Representatives and a case currently on appeal before the Ninth Circuit could constrain California's ability to require Proposition 65 warnings on pesticide products — thus potentially preventing numerous lawsuits and bringing relief to businesses across the country, say attorneys at Alston & Bird.