Food & Beverage

  • July 18, 2025

    Dunkin' Worker Alleges AI Tip Inquiry Got Her Fired

    A Dunkin' franchise supervisor fired a Connecticut worker who asked when tips were distributed after accusing the employee of raising questions based on inaccurate artificial intelligence search results that did not take company policy into account, the worker alleged in a lawsuit.

  • July 18, 2025

    Cannabis Edibles Maker Accused Of Hiding Prop. 65 Warnings

    A California resident is suing a Los Angeles cannabis-infused edibles maker, claiming its peel-back product labels deliberately hide the state-required Proposition 65 warning at the time of purchase, in the second private enforcement action filed by the plaintiff this year.

  • July 17, 2025

    FDA Signs Off On Juul E-Cig Products After 5-Year Review

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday gave Juul the green light to market five e-cigarette products, although the FDA noted that the long-awaited authorization "does not mean these tobacco products are safe, nor are they FDA-approved."

  • July 17, 2025

    EU Approves Luxembourg Beverage Deal With Fix

    European enforcers have approved beverage producer and distributor Brasserie Nationale's planned purchase of a Luxembourg-based wholesaler, after the companies agreed to unload a portion of the business that sells to hotels, restaurants and cafes in the country.

  • July 17, 2025

    Wisconsin Bar Settles Atty's Legal Challenge Over DEI Efforts

    The State Bar of Wisconsin has settled a lawsuit from a lawyer challenging its diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, with the agency agreeing to apply a tweaked definition of diversity to two leadership programs.

  • July 17, 2025

    Couche-Tard Pulls $47B Takeover Bid For 7-Eleven Parent

    Alimentation Couche-Tard has withdrawn its nearly $47 billion bid to acquire Seven & i Holdings, the Japanese parent of 7-Eleven, citing "a persistent lack of good faith engagement" from Seven & i leadership.

  • July 17, 2025

    Tesco Must Wait For Appeal In Equal Pay Case

    A London appeals court delayed on Thursday an appeal by Tesco in lengthy equal pay litigation between the retail giant and around 55,000 workers to consider it at a later date because of an upcoming ruling by a lower appellate tribunal.

  • July 17, 2025

    Trump Picks Two For NLRB, Setting Up Return Of Quorum

    President Donald Trump announced his choices Thursday of an in-house counsel at Boeing and a longtime National Labor Relations Board official to fill two long-standing vacancies on the board, setting up confirmations that would restore a quorum on the NLRB.

  • July 16, 2025

    Bojangles Managers Ask To Redo Cert. After 4th Circ. Setback

    Managers at the fast-food chain Bojangles asked a North Carolina federal judge Wednesday to certify more than a dozen subclasses in their wage and hour case, arguing that there's still a path forward after the Fourth Circuit sent them back to the drawing board on certification.

  • July 16, 2025

    Bojangles Insurer Must Cover Settled Rape Suit, Court Rules

    A Bojangles franchisee's insurer had a duty to cover it in a now-settled civil lawsuit alleging that a manager at one of the franchisee's locations raped an employee who was a minor, a Georgia federal court ruled Wednesday, finding that one of two coverage forms at issue was triggered.

  • July 16, 2025

    9th Circ. Tosses Atty-Farmer's Suit Over USDA Organic Label

    The Ninth Circuit on Tuesday upheld a U.S. Department of Agriculture rule allowing farm collectives in the U.S. and other countries to be certified as "organic" under one certificate and not inspected annually, tossing an attorney-turned-Oregon hazelnut farmer's suit alleging Turkish growers were defrauding the system.

  • July 16, 2025

    Arby's Parent Says Workers' Tobacco Fee Suit Lacks Support

    The parent company of Arby's, Dunkin' and other fast-food chains urged a Georgia federal court to toss a proposed class action claiming employees in its health plan were unlawfully charged more for using tobacco, arguing workers didn't allege their premiums stayed elevated after completing a wellness program.

  • July 16, 2025

    Ex-NFL Player Can't Undo Legal Fees In 'Shark Tank' Dispute

    A New Jersey federal judge rejected former NFL player Al "Bubba" Baker's request to undo certain rulings and $110,800 in legal fee awards in his ongoing dispute with Shark Tank Star Daymond John, who accused the defensive end of defamation after their boneless rib business venture soured.

  • July 16, 2025

    Texas Launches Investigation Into Mars Inc.'s Use Of Dyes

    Texas announced Wednesday an investigation into Mars Inc. over its use of artificial dyes in its food products, adding to the state's string of recent investigations into companies for allegedly deceptive marketing relating to their use of dyes in food.

  • July 16, 2025

    WK Kellogg, Kellanova Settle Overtime Suit For $1.5M

    WK Kellogg Co. and Kellanova will pay almost $1.5 million to settle claims that workers didn't receive accurate overtime pay and weren't compensated for preshift COVID-19 temperature checks and other off-the-clock activities, according to Michigan federal court filings.

  • July 16, 2025

    Fast Food Workers Settle Trans Bias Case Dropped By EEOC

    Three former workers for a Culver's franchisee agreed to settle claims that the business fired them for opposing the harassment of a transgender employee, resolving a Michigan federal court case that the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission abandoned because of Trump administration orders.

  • July 16, 2025

    Cheesesteak Maker Gets 2 Mos. Sliced From Prison Sentence

    A member of the family behind the popular Tony Luke's cheesesteak shop in South Philadelphia was re-sentenced Wednesday to 18 months in prison, marking a two-month reduction of the original term he'd received for paying employees under the table.

  • July 16, 2025

    Kratom Seltzers 'Addictive,' Wash. Class Suit Alleges

    A proposed class of kratom product buyers is suing Mitra-9 Brands LLC in Washington federal court, alleging that the company knew — but failed to warn customers — that the products are addictive in the same way as opioids and can cause withdrawal symptoms.

  • July 15, 2025

    FTC Says Merger Penalty Deal In The Works With 7-Eleven

    The Federal Trade Commission is inching closer to a settlement with 7-Eleven in its suit seeking to slap the convenience store chain with a $77.5 million penalty for violating a settlement that it inked with the agency in order to get a merger approved back in 2018.

  • July 15, 2025

    Abbott Brass Ignoring Call For Formula Plant Probe, Suit Says

    An Abbot shareholder has launched a derivative lawsuit in Illiniois state court accusing the company's leaders of improperly sitting on her demand to investigate a baby formula shortage caused by safety and regulatory violations that she said executives and officers hid from the public.

  • July 15, 2025

    NC Brewery Accused Of 'Secret' Talks Amid Partnership Rift

    A live music operator accused a brewery during a hearing Tuesday of conducting secret negotiations with competitors and frustrating discovery efforts in a lawsuit over their failed partnership to form an entertainment venue in downtown Asheville, North Carolina.

  • July 15, 2025

    Texas Cities Cite Gov't Immunity In Farmers' PFAS Suit

    Governmental entities led by Fort Worth submitted a brief to a Texas federal court Tuesday supporting their immunity in managing wastewater operations in connection with a proposed class action from farmers who claim their lands were contaminated by toxic chemicals.

  • July 15, 2025

    11th Circ. Backs $50K Verdict In Ex-Koch Nurse's Assault Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday let stand a $50,000 verdict in favor of a former Koch Foods nurse against two human resource managers at a food plant whom she accused of assault and battery, saying jurors reached a viable conclusion.

  • July 15, 2025

    Fizz Social Loses Bid To Block Instacart's 'Fizz' Drink App

    A California federal judge has denied social media platform Fizz Social Corp.'s bid for a preliminary injunction in its trademark infringement and anti-cybersquatting lawsuit accusing Instacart and Partiful of ripping off its "FIZZ" mark to launch a rival "Fizz" beverage-delivery app that targets the so-called Gen Z demographic.

  • July 15, 2025

    Frito-Lay Settles Flamin' Hot Cheetos Defamation Suit

    Frito-Lay Inc. and a former employee have reached a settlement Monday in his suit claiming he invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos and had his livelihood destroyed when the company disavowed his story, according to a Monday filing in California federal court.

Expert Analysis

  • DOJ Enforcement Trends To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2025

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    Recent investigations, settlements and a declination to prosecute suggest that controlling the flow of goods into and out of the country, and redressing what the administration sees as reverse discrimination, are likely to be at the forefront of the U.S. Department of Justice's enforcement agenda the rest of this year, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • Federal Regs Order May Spell Harsher FDCA Enforcement

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    A recent executive order aimed at reducing criminal prosecutions of those who unknowingly violate complex federal regulations may actually lead to more aggressive felony indictments under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, but companies and executives can mitigate risks by following several key principals, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Self-Care

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    Law schools don’t teach the mental, physical and emotional health maintenance tools necessary to deal with the profession's many demands, but practicing self-care is an important key to success that can help to improve focus, manage stress and reduce burnout, says Rachel Leonard​​​​​​​ at MG+M.

  • ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'

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    The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Latest Influencer Marketing Class Actions Pinpoint 5 Themes

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    Several recent deceptive marketing class actions against both brands and influencers attempt to transform arguably routine business practices into a new focus area for consumer complaints, suggesting a coordinated approach to test what could become an increasingly popular area of litigation, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • How Trump's Trade Policies Are Shaping Foreign Investment

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    Five months into the Trump administration, investors are beginning to see the concrete effects of the president’s America First Investment Policy as it presents new opportunities for clearing transactions more quickly, while sustaining risk aversion related to Chinese trade and potentially creating different political risks, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

  • 4 Consumer Class Action Trends To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2025

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    The first half of 2025 has seen a surge of consumer class action trends related to online tools, websites and marketing messages, creating a new legal risk landscape for companies of all sizes, says Scott Shaffer at Olshan Frome.

  • 8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

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    Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients

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    Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.

  • One Year On, Davidson Holds Lessons On 'Health Halo' Claims

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    A year after the Ninth Circuit's Davidson v. Sprout Foods decision — which raised the bar for so-called health halo claims — food and beverage companies can draw insights from its finding, subsequently expanded on by other courts, that plaintiffs must be specific when alleging fraud in healthfulness marketing, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Bill Leaves Renewable Cos. In Dark On Farmland Reporting

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    A U.S. Senate bill to update disclosure requirements for foreign control of U.S. farmland does not provide much-needed guidance on how to report renewable energy development on agricultural property, leaving significant compliance risks for project developers, say attorneys at Hodgson Russ.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm

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    My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System

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    The Senate’s latest version of the Big Beautiful Bill Act would impose a 41% tax on the litigation finance industry, but the tax is totally disconnected from the concerns it purports to address, and it would set the country back to a time when small plaintiffs had little recourse against big defendants, says Anthony Sebok at Cardozo School of Law.

  • 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.

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