Food & Beverage

  • February 06, 2026

    Ch. 11 Judge Urged To Suspend 'Dictatorial' FAT Brands CEO

    FAT Brands creditors asked a Texas bankruptcy judge Thursday to suspend the restaurant franchiser's CEO Andrew Wiederhorn, arguing that within days of filing Chapter 11, Wiederhorn sold $3.1 million in equity without court approval, proving he's "dictatorial" and is "incapable of distinguishing a public company's property from his own."

  • February 06, 2026

    'Very Bizarre': Trump's Funding Freeze Appeal Vexes DC Circ.

    D.C. Circuit judges struggled Friday with whether to unblock a federal funding freeze carrying multitrillion-dollar implications, as a Trump administration lawyer disclaimed interest in a vast spending halt but also dodged opportunities to rule it out unequivocally.

  • February 06, 2026

    Kirkland Leads Jennifer Garner's Baby Food Co.'s $198M IPO

    Once Upon a Farm, an organic baby food brand co-founded by actor Jennifer Garner, began trading Friday after it raised nearly $198 million by offering 11 million shares, in an offering guided by Kirkland & Ellis LLP and Weil Gotshal & Manges LLP.

  • February 06, 2026

    Allstate Denies Coverage For Uber Driver's Deadly Road Rage

    Allstate called on a Seattle federal judge to find that it has no duty to defend a delivery driver from a wrongful death lawsuit alleging he fatally shot and killed another man during an apparent road rage incident while working for Uber Eats and DoorDash.

  • February 06, 2026

    Kroger And Albertsons Win Dismissal In Antitrust Labor Case

    A Colorado federal judge on Friday dismissed a grocery store employee's proposed class action against Kroger and Albertsons alleging the pair violated antitrust law through a no-poach agreement to not hire competitor employees during a strike.

  • February 06, 2026

    Bojangles Let Russian Hackers Steal Worker Data, Suit Says

    Fried chicken fast food chain Bojangles allegedly let Russian hackers infiltrate its computer system and steal hundreds of thousands of files on its employees, resulting in the exposure of their sensitive personal information on the dark web, according to a new complaint in North Carolina's business court.

  • February 06, 2026

    Shake Shack Governance Suit Headed For Dismissal In Del.

    A stockholder lawsuit challenging Shake Shack Inc.'s corporate governance arrangements is set to be dismissed after the parties jointly asked the Delaware Court of Chancery to end the case, cutting off the named plaintiff's claims while preserving the ability of other stockholders to bring similar suits later.

  • February 06, 2026

    4 Takeaways From The EU's Latest Trade Agreements

    The European Union recently cemented formal trade agreements with India and Mercosur, a group of Latin American countries, which — along with creating certainty for businesses in the regions — strike a sharp contrast with the approach taken in framework deals reached by President Donald Trump. Here, Law360 examines four takeaways from the two trade agreements announced by the EU.

  • February 06, 2026

    NC Restaurants Say They Didn't 'Keep' Tips In DOL Wage Suit

    Two North Carolina restaurants urged a federal court Friday to narrow a U.S. Department of Labor lawsuit alleging they unlawfully kept and pooled tips from front-of-house workers and allocated the funds to tip-ineligible back-of-house employees, arguing they did not "keep" the tips by distributing them to nontipped workers.

  • February 06, 2026

    Anti-Pot Advocates Vow To Fight Legalization In Courts

    Principals and allies of a leading antidrug nonprofit pledged Friday to pursue the fight against marijuana legalization and normalization in the courts by challenging a pending proposal to loosen federal cannabis restrictions and directly suing some of the country's largest marijuana companies.

  • February 06, 2026

    Japan's Kirin Selling Bourbon Brand To Gallo For Up To $775M

    Kirin Holdings said Friday it has agreed to sell its U.S.-based Four Roses bourbon whiskey business to E. & J. Gallo Winery for up to 120 billion yen ($775 million).

  • February 06, 2026

    5 Firms Guide Refresco's $768M Acquisition Of SunOpta

    Netherlands-based Refresco said Friday it has agreed to acquire Minnesota-based SunOpta in an all-cash deal valuing the U.S.-listed company at $6.50 per share, or roughly $768 million, in a deal steered by at least five law firms. 

  • February 06, 2026

    Pa. Grocer Denied Bid To Bar Competition From Walmart

    A Pittsburgh-area grocery store can't get a court order barring a neighboring Walmart from selling groceries, after a federal judge found that the store could not convincingly link its decline in sales to Walmart's recent expansion of its food offerings.

  • February 05, 2026

    7th Circ. Deems Pilgrim's Price-Fix Settlement Non-Binding

    The Seventh Circuit on Thursday held that Pilgrim's Pride did not definitively settle chicken and other protein price-fixing claims with Sysco via a brief email acceptance and unsigned agreement, ruling that "a barebones email exchange" and unsigned agreement wasn't enough to formally resolve the dispute.

  • February 05, 2026

    Conagra Owes $25M For Man's Lung Disease From Pam Spray

    A California state civil jury hit Conagra Brands with a $25 million verdict after unanimously finding it liable for causing a debilitating lung disease known as bronchiolitis obliterans of a man who says he was exposed to diacetyl that was added to the company's Pam butter-flavored cooking spray.

  • February 05, 2026

    Consumers Fight To Keep Frozen Potato Antitrust Suit Alive

    Consumer groups pursuing price-fixing allegations against the nation's leading frozen potato product producers and certain others have urged an Illinois federal judge to let their claims proceed, arguing they've plausibly outlined a "classic antitrust story" that should be allowed to enter the evidence-gathering stage.

  • February 05, 2026

    8th Circ. Says Farmer Must Face Water Dispute In Tribal Court

    The Eight Circuit ruled that a Minnesota farmer can't block White Earth Tribal Court proceedings in federal court while his river water permitting case is still being litigated in the tribe's court system.

  • February 05, 2026

    Wash. Lawyer Faces Sanction Threat Over Alleged AI Errors

    A federal judge has ordered an attorney in Washington state to submit a sworn declaration explaining why she shouldn't be sanctioned for what opposing counsel claimed are dozens of artificial intelligence "hallucinations" across multiple case filings.

  • February 05, 2026

    NC Biz Court Bulletin: Dual Representation DQ, Biting Censure

    The North Carolina Business Court kicked off 2026 with a flurry of rulings and a few rebukes from the bench, including partially disqualifying counsel in a restaurant mismanagement melee and censuring a solo attorney who sought to circumvent the specialized superior court's rules.

  • February 05, 2026

    David Protein Gets Ingredient Supply Antitrust Claims Tossed

    A New York federal court dismissed a lawsuit from several low-calorie food producers accusing protein bar-maker David Protein of refusing to sell them a fat replacement ingredient after it purchased the ingredient's only supplier.

  • February 05, 2026

    Tyson Won't Have To Hand Over Poultry Welfare Records

    The Delaware Chancery Court on Thursday recommended against greenlighting a Tyson Foods Inc. stockholder's effort to obtain wide-ranging internal records about poultry welfare and labor practices, concluding the plaintiff failed to show a credible basis to suspect corporate wrongdoing that would justify further inspection.

  • February 05, 2026

    DOL Must Pay Retaliation Suit Atty Fees, Farm HR Head Says

    The U.S. Department of Labor should pay attorney fees and expenses that a human resources manager at a Tennessee pork farm incurred to defend the agency's retaliation suit, the manager told a federal court Thursday, saying the department failed to investigate the claims against her before suing.

  • February 05, 2026

    Nerds And Other Ferrara Candies Allegedly Contain Arsenic

    Ferrara Candy Co. was hit with a proposed class action Wednesday in Illinois federal court over allegations that popular brands of its candy, including Nerds, Trolli gummy candy, Laffy Taffy and Sweet Tarts, contain toxic levels of arsenic.

  • February 05, 2026

    FAT Brands Seeks OK To Use Subsidiary Stock Sale Cash

    FAT Brands is asking a Delaware bankruptcy judge for permission to use the proceeds from a sale of new shares in one of its subsidiary restaurant chains, saying it needs the more than $3 million in cash to fund its Chapter 11 case.

  • February 05, 2026

    Fla. Judge Recommends Axing Some Claims Against IP Atty

    A Florida federal judge Thursday recommended tossing several claims in a lawsuit alleging a patent attorney defamed an inventor in the press, saying the claims are unsupported.

Expert Analysis

  • A Simple Way Courts Can Help Attys Avoid AI Hallucinations

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    As attorneys increasingly rely on generative artificial intelligence for legal research, courts should consider expanding online quality control programs to flag potential hallucinations — permitting counsel to correct mistakes and sparing judges the burden of imposing sanctions, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl and Connors.

  • DOJ Consumer Branch's End Leaves FDA Litigation Questions

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    With the dissolution of the U.S. Department of Justice's Consumer Protection Branch set to occur by Sept. 30, companies must carefully monitor how responsibility is reallocated for civil and criminal enforcement cases related to products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, say attorneys at Foley & Lardner.

  • The Evolving Legal Landscape For THC-Infused Beverages

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    A recent Eighth Circuit ruling, holding that states may restrict the sale of intoxicating hemp-derived products without violating federal law, combined with ongoing regulatory uncertainty at both the federal and state levels, could alter the trajectory of the THC-infused beverage market, say attorneys at Pashman Stein.

  • Cos. Must Tailor Due Diligence As Trafficking Risks Increase

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    As legislators, prosecutors and plaintiffs attorneys increasingly focus on labor and sex trafficking throughout the U.S., companies must tailor their due diligence strategies to protect against forced labor trafficking risks in their supply chains, say attorneys at Steptoe.

  • Series

    Creating Botanical Art Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Pressing and framing plants that I grow has shown me that pursuing an endeavor that brings you joy can lead to surprising benefits for a legal career, including mental clarity, perspective and even a bit of humility, says Douglas Selph at Morris Manning.

  • What To Expect As Calif. Justices Weigh Arbitration Fee Law

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    If the California Supreme Court’s upcoming ruling in Hohenshelt v. Superior Court holds that the Federal Arbitration Act does not preempt the California Arbitration Act's strict fee deadlines, employers and businesses could lose the right to arbitrate over minor procedural delays, say attorneys at Bird Marella.

  • Opinion

    The Legal Education Status Quo Is No Longer Tenable

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    As underscored by the fallout from California’s February bar exam, legal education and licensure are tethered to outdated systems, and the industry must implement several key reforms to remain relevant and responsive to 21st century legal needs, says Matthew Nehmer at The Colleges of Law.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Relevance Redactions

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    In recent cases addressing redactions that parties sought to apply based on the relevance of information — as opposed to considerations of privilege — courts have generally limited a party’s ability to withhold nonresponsive or irrelevant material, providing a few lessons for discovery strategy, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Opinion

    Section 1983 Has Promise After End Of Nationwide Injunctions

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down the practice of nationwide injunctions in Trump v. Casa, Section 1983 civil rights suits can provide a better pathway to hold the government accountable — but this will require reforms to qualified immunity, says Marc Levin at the Council on Criminal Justice.

  • Series

    Playing Soccer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Soccer has become a key contributor to how I approach my work, and the lessons I’ve learned on the pitch about leadership, adaptability, resilience and communication make me better at what I do every day in my legal career, says Whitney O’Byrne at MoFo.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Learning From Failure

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    While law school often focuses on the importance of precision, correctness and perfection, mistakes are inevitable in real-world practice — but failure is not the opposite of progress, and real talent comes from the ability to recover, rethink and reshape, says Brooke Pauley at Tucker Ellis.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From ATF Director To BigLaw

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    As a two-time boomerang partner, returning to BigLaw after stints as a U.S. attorney and the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, people ask me how I know when to move on, but there’s no single answer — just clearly set your priorities, says Steven Dettelbach at BakerHostetler.

  • Influencer Marketing Partnerships Face Rising Litigation Risk

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    In light of recent class actions claiming that brands and influencers are misleading consumers with deceptive marketing practices — largely premised on the Federal Trade Commission's endorsements guidance — proactive compliance measures are becoming more important, say attorneys at Olshan Frome.

  • Mulling Worker Reclassification In Light Of No Tax On OT

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    The One Big Beautiful Bill Act's no-tax-on-overtime provisions provide tax relief for employees who regularly work overtime and are nonexempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act, but reclassifying employees may lead to higher compliance costs and increased wage and hour litigation for employers, says Steve Bronars at Edgeworth Economics.

  • 7 Ways Employers Can Avoid Labor Friction Over AI

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    As artificial intelligence use in the workplace emerges as a key labor relations topic in the U.S. and Europe, employers looking to reduce reputational risk and prevent costly disputes should consider proactive strategies to engage with unions, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

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