Food & Beverage

  • July 09, 2025

    8th Circ. Finds 'Chicken Coop' Trade Secrets Fight Can't Fly

    The Eighth Circuit will not reinstate an Iowa restaurant operator's lawsuit seeking a declaration that it did not misappropriate the trade secrets of another restaurant of the same name in Nebraska, saying there is no federal question that federal courts can answer.

  • July 09, 2025

    US Chamber Backs Anheuser-Busch's 4th Circ. Class Fight

    The U.S. Chamber of Commerce backed Anheuser-Busch LLC's bid to flip a Virginia federal court's decision granting class certification to workers alleging the brewing giant failed to pay for mandatory pre- and post-shift work, telling the Fourth Circuit that the workers didn't clear certification standards.

  • July 09, 2025

    Globa Terra SPAC Raises $152M To Target Agribusiness Deals

    Special purpose acquisition company Globa Terra Acquisition Corp. began trading Wednesday after pricing a $152 million initial public offering, enabling the vehicle to pursue mergers in the agribusiness or water sectors, represented by Paul Hastings LLP.

  • July 08, 2025

    Grocer's Octopus In Olive Oil Also Comes With Lead, Suit Says

    Natural grocery store chain Lazy Acres has been selling a tinned "octopus in olive oil" product that also contains lead in violation of California's Proposition 65, according to a suit lodged in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Tuesday.

  • July 08, 2025

    11th Circ. Rejects Fla. Jurisdiction In $17M Cheese Fraud Case

    The Eleventh Circuit declined Tuesday to revive a lawsuit accusing Savencia Cheese USA LLC and its executives of fraudulently selling two Florida companies a worthless cheese distribution company for $17 million, finding that the presence of deal counsel in Miami is not enough to keep the suit in Florida federal court.

  • July 08, 2025

    Copter Pilot's Death Suit Revived By 4th Circ. After Rehearing

    The Fourth Circuit has once again reinstated a lawsuit by the widow of a crop-dusting pilot whose helicopter became tangled in a steel cable stretched over the property, causing him to crash, ruling that a jury must be the one to decide whether the landlord should have known that the wire posed a danger, according to a published opinion issued Tuesday following a rehearing.

  • July 08, 2025

    Wash. Seafood Plant, Steel Shop Slapped With CWA Suits

    Environmental groups launched a pair of Clean Water Act lawsuits in Washington federal court on Tuesday accusing an Evergreen State seafood producer and specialty machinery firm of releasing pollutants into local waterways in violation of state and federal permitting regulations.

  • July 08, 2025

    Poultry Farm Urges NC Justices To Reject Animal Cruelty Case

    A North Carolina poultry farm lambasted a chicken welfare group as allegedly seeking a "third bite at the proverbial apple" by petitioning the state's highest court to revive its animal cruelty case, saying the state's animal protection statute doesn't apply to commercial farmers.

  • July 08, 2025

    Fishing Industry Alleges Feds Allow Red Snapper Overfishing

    A group of commercial fishers and buyers is claiming in a new lawsuit that the National Marine Fisheries Service has failed to set proper catch limits and allowed the overfishing of red snapper due to massive "dead discards." 

  • July 08, 2025

    Trade Court Judge Sworn In As USDA Deputy Secretary

    Judge Stephen A. Vaden of the U.S. Court of International Trade has resigned from his judgeship to join the U.S. Department of Agriculture as the second-in-command.

  • July 07, 2025

    Bar Urges NC Court To Affirm Exit From Shooting Suit

    A Charlotte-based bar told a North Carolina state appeals court that it bears no blame for a man's fatal shooting at another restaurant, arguing its staff couldn't have foreseen the attack even if they supposedly overserved the shooter hours earlier.

  • July 07, 2025

    Burford Entities Can't Opt Out Of $32M Cargill Price-Fix Deal

    An Illinois federal judge Monday denied two Burford Capital entities' day-late bid to opt out of a $32 million price-fixing settlement between Cargill and a direct turkey purchasers class, rejecting their contention that their attorneys' busy schedule and separate actions they filed against the turkey producer warranted their exclusion.

  • July 07, 2025

    Japanese Eatery Group Azumi Pays $3.6M To Settle PPP Claims

    A group of high-end Japanese restaurants will pay $3.6 million to resolve allegations that they fraudulently obtained loans meant to help small businesses struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Monday.

  • July 07, 2025

    Mich. Starbucks Customer Drops Hot-Drink Burn Suit

    Starbucks Corp. and a customer who suffered severe burns when hot tea spilled on her lap at a Michigan drive-through have confidentially settled her negligence lawsuit, culminating in a dismissal with prejudice in federal court.

  • July 07, 2025

    Alaskan Tribe's Immunity Upheld In Anchorage Casino Fight

    A federal court judge on Monday denied a bid by a group of Anchorage, Alaska, residents to reconsider a ruling that found the Native Village of Eklutna is immune from the residents' lawsuit seeking to block a casino development, saying their arguments are no more than a disagreement with the court's analysis.

  • July 07, 2025

    Mich. Wineries Win Nearly $50M In Zoning Dispute

    A Michigan federal judge awarded more than $49.2 million in damages Monday to a group of wineries that challenged local zoning restrictions but declined to block the township from enforcing its current ordinances.

  • July 07, 2025

    Deere & Co. Needn't Give More Financial Docs In Repair Suit

    An Illinois federal judge overseeing twin cases alleging Deere & Co. is violating the Sherman Antitrust Act through its control of repair tools decided Monday not to force the company to produce its dealer financial analysis documents, saying any relevant information in them has already been produced elsewhere in the cases.

  • July 07, 2025

    Biggest Enviro Cases To Watch In 2025: Midyear Report

    Law360 previews the lawsuits environmental attorneys will be watching closely during the second half of 2025, including the Trump administration's challenge to states' efforts to slow climate change, a lawsuit seeking to continue federal funding for climate change projects and product liability cases over forever chemicals in consumer goods.

  • July 07, 2025

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    In Delaware in the past week, a vice chancellor awarded just $1 in damages to a China-tied company looking to secure a $50 million stake in SpaceX while also slamming the fund's manager for acting "insincerely," Tyson Foods won $55 million in damages in a suit claiming the owner of two poultry rendering plants Tyson acquired hid that it relied on a "disfavored" practice of recovering "unappetizing remnants of butchered chickens," and a suit over a one-site bank's 11-aircraft fleet was moved into the discovery phase.

  • July 03, 2025

    Tyson Settles Fight With Chicken Farmers Over Mo. Plant Sale

    Tyson Foods has settled its declaratory action against Skaggs Bros & Sons Farms LLC that sought an order finding its sale of a shuttered broiler chicken processing plant to Cal-Maine Foods Inc. last year didn't violate antitrust laws, according to a notice filed in Missouri federal court.

  • July 03, 2025

    7th Circ. Cuts Chicken Price-Fixing Atty Fees Again

    A Seventh Circuit panel reduced a $51.6 million fee award for class counsel who took on alleged price-fixing among the country's biggest producers of broiler chickens to about $47 million Wednesday, saying the district court made one easily-correctable error.

  • July 03, 2025

    EEOC Says Calif. Supermarket Chain Obstructing Bias Probe

    A California supermarket chain has refused to turn over applicant and employee data to the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, hindering its investigation into whether the retailer discriminated against non-Hispanic workers, the agency told a federal court.

  • July 03, 2025

    Circuit-By-Circuit Recap: Justices Send Message To Outliers

    It was a tough term at the U.S. Supreme Court for two very different circuits — one solidly liberal, one solidly conservative — that had their rulings overturned in eye-popping numbers. But it was another impressive year for a relatively moderate circuit that appears increasingly simpatico with the high court.

  • July 03, 2025

    The Moments That Shaped The Universal Injunction Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court voted along ideological lines when it hindered the ability of federal district court judges to issue nationwide pauses on presidential policies, but that outcome didn't seem like a foregone conclusion during oral arguments earlier this year. What do the colloquies suggest about the justices' thinking? Here are some moments that may have swayed them.

  • July 03, 2025

    Pacific Seafood Faces CWA Suit For Alleged Permit Violations

    The Center for Food Safety and Wild Fish Conservancy hit Pacific Seafood Aquaculture LLC with a Clean Water Act citizen suit alleging it has failed to comply with permit terms for three Columbia River net pen facilities, each producing more than 20,000 pounds of rainbow trout annually.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Performing As A Clown Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    To say that being a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has changed my legal career would truly be an understatement — by creating an opening to converse on a unique topic, it has allowed me to connect with clients, counsel and even judges on a deeper level, says Charles Tatelbaum at Tripp Scott.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Rejecting Biz Dev Myths

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    Law schools don’t spend sufficient time dispelling certain myths that prevent young lawyers from exploring new business opportunities, but by dismissing these misguided beliefs, even an introverted first-year associate with a small network of contacts can find long-term success, says Ronald Levine at Herrick Feinstein.

  • DOJ Has Deep Toolbox For Corporate Immigration Violations

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    With the U.S. Department of Justice now offering rewards to whistleblowers who report businesses that employ unauthorized workers, companies should understand the immigration enforcement landscape and how they can reduce their risk, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Move Beyond Surface-Level Edits To Master Legal Writing

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    Recent instances in which attorneys filed briefs containing artificial intelligence hallucinations offer a stark reminder that effective revision isn’t just about superficial details like grammar — it requires attorneys to critically engage with their writing and analyze their rhetorical choices, says Ivy Grey at WordRake.

  • 9th Circ. Has Muddied Waters Of Article III Pleading Standard

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    District courts in the Ninth Circuit continue to apply a defunct and especially forgiving pleading standard to questions of Article III standing, and the circuit court itself has only perpetuated this confusion — making it an attractive forum for disputes that have no rightful place in federal court, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • Fla. Workers' Comp Ruling Ups Bar For Emotional Injury Suits

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    A Florida appellate court’s recent opinion in Steak 'N Shake v. Spears requires that employees solely claiming emotional distress seek workers’ compensation before suing their employers, closing a potential loophole and reducing the potential proliferation of such disputes in Florida courts, says Rob Rogers at Kirwin Norris.

  • Series

    Competing In Modern Pentathlon Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Opening myself up to new experiences through competing in modern Olympic pentathlon has shrunk the appearance of my daily work annoyances and helps me improve my patience, manage crises better and remember that acquiring new skills requires working through your early mistakes, says attorney Mary Zoldak.

  • Prepare For Increased FDA Inspections Of Foreign Facilities

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    In light of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's recently announced plans to expand use of unannounced inspections of foreign drug manufacturing factories, foreign firms should implement best practices in anticipation of an imminent increase in enforcement activity, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

  • When Rule 12 Motions Against Class Allegations Succeed

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    Companies facing class actions often attempt early motions to strike class allegations, and while some district courts have been reluctant to decide certification issues at the pleading stage, several recent decisions have shown that Rule 12 motions to dismiss or strike class allegations can be effective, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Teaching Yourself Legal Tech

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    New graduates often enter practice unfamiliar with even basic professional software, but budding lawyers can use on-the-job opportunities to both catch up on technological skills and explore the advanced legal and artificial intelligence tools that will open doors, says Alyssa Sones at Sheppard Mullin.

  • How AI May Reshape The Future Of Adjudication

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    As discussed at a recent panel at Texas A&M, artificial intelligence will not erase the human element of adjudication in the next 10 to 20 years, but it will drive efficiencies that spur private arbiters to experiment, lead public courts to evolve and force attorneys to adapt, says Christopher Seck at Squire Patton.

  • When Legal Advocacy Crosses The Line Into Incivility

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    As judges issue sanctions for courtroom incivility, and state bars advance formal discipline rules, trial lawyers must understand that the difference between zealous advocacy and unprofessionalism is not just a matter of tone; it's a marker of skill, credibility and potentially disciplinary exposure, says Nate Sabri at Perkins Coie.

  • Despite Rule Delay, FTC Scrutiny Looms For Subscriptions

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    Even though the Federal Trade Commission has delayed its click-to-cancel rule that introduces strict protocols for auto-renewing subscriptions, businesses should expect active enforcement of the new requirements after July, and look to the FTC's recent lawsuits against Uber and Cleo AI as warnings, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Va.'s Altered Surcharge Law Poses Constitutional Questions

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    Virginia's recently amended consumer protection law requiring sellers to display the total price rather than expressly prohibiting surcharges follows New York's recent revision of its antisurcharge statute and may raise similar First Amendment questions, says attorneys at Stinson.

  • Series

    Volunteering At Schools Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Speaking to elementary school students about the importance of college and other opportunities after high school — especially students who may not see those paths reflected in their daily lives — not only taught me the importance of giving back, but also helped to sharpen several skills essential to a successful legal practice, says Guillermo Escobedo at Constangy.

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