Food & Beverage

  • April 03, 2025

    Nestlé, Other Parent Cos. Freed From Baby Food Metals MDL

    Overseas food giants Nestlé, Danone and Hero can exit a multidistrict litigation alleging baby food tainted with toxic metals caused children to develop autism, a California federal judge has ruled, but domestic subsidiaries who manufactured the products, such as Gerber, Nurture and Beech-Nut, must remain as defendants.

  • April 03, 2025

    7th Circ. Doubts SuperValu's Bid To Lower $22.5M Pension Bill

    The Seventh Circuit appeared Thursday to lean against a grocery store's effort to lower its $22.5 million union pension bill, with multiple judges challenging the employer's argument that stores sold months before a complete fund withdrawal should be excluded from its annual payment calculation.

  • April 03, 2025

    Baby Food Suit Must Face Trial Or Calif. Panel, 9th Circ. Told

    Plum Organics buyers urged the Ninth Circuit on Thursday to ask the California Supreme Court to clarify Golden State's deception-by-omission law, or reverse Plum's summary judgment win and send to trial the consumers' allegations that the baby-food-maker failed to disclose potential toxins in its baby food products.

  • April 03, 2025

    Kroger, Albertsons Argue Colo. No-Poach Suit Is Preempted

    Kroger Co. and Albertsons urged a Colorado federal judge to toss a worker's proposed class action claiming the grocers violated state antitrust law with a no-poach agreement, arguing Thursday that the claims are exclusively governed by federal labor law.

  • April 03, 2025

    ADM Faces Del. Derivative Suit Amid Accounting Fraud Claims

    Agricultural supply chain giant Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. was hit with a derivative complaint Thursday in Delaware's Court of Chancery, seeking damages from 17 current or former officers entangled in claims of years of fraudulent accounting and disclosures involving its nutrition segment.

  • April 03, 2025

    Tequila Maker Sues Acquirer In Del. Alleging Earnout Dodge

    A stockholder representative of tequila company 21Seeds Inc. has filed suit against Diageo North America, accusing the global liquor giant of undercutting post-acquisition earn-out targets for 21Seeds and putting the company "in mothballs" in a scheme to develop its own competing brand to the women-founded flavored tequila.

  • April 03, 2025

    NC Panel Scraps Subrogation Suit Over Misidentified Plaintiff

    An insurer for a Hardee's restaurant can't revive its subrogation suit over a 2019 fire after it accidentally misnamed itself in the complaint, the North Carolina Court of Appeals has ruled, finding the incorrectly identified plaintiff lacked standing to sue, and the complaint was a "nullity."

  • April 03, 2025

    Skadden Steers $1.5B Deal For SunnyD, Juicy Juice Maker

    Skadden-led Castillo Hermanos said Thursday it has agreed to purchase Brynwood Partners portfolio company Harvest Hill Beverage Co., whose brands include SunnyD, Juicy Juice and Little HUG, in a reported roughly $1.5 billion deal.

  • April 03, 2025

    Online Alcohol Shop, Distributor Near Deal In Antitrust Fight

    Online marketplace Provi and major wine distributor Southern Glazer's Wine have struck a deal in principle to resolve their dispute in an antitrust suit claiming the distributor conspired to stifle competition, according to a notice they have filed in Illinois federal court.

  • April 03, 2025

    Loan Fraud Plea Adds 6 Mos. To Pizzeria Owner's Prison Term

    The owner of a Boston-area pizzeria chain who was sentenced to 8½ years in prison in October for an alleged forced-labor scheme will spend an additional six months behind bars after pleading guilty to submitting false information to the U.S. Small Business Administration to obtain a loan.

  • April 02, 2025

    5th Circ. Presses Jackson, Miss., About Lead Levels In Water

    A Fifth Circuit panel pressed the city of Jackson, Mississippi, about its allegedly slipshod handling of lead contamination in city drinking water during oral arguments Wednesday, with one judge saying city officials seemingly "very artfully avoided" questions about poisoned drinking water to skirt culpability.

  • April 02, 2025

    Hooters Can Tap $5M Of Its $40M In Proposed Ch. 11 Loans

    Bankrupt restaurant chain Hooters of America LLC can access $5 million in interim financing from a $40 million debtor-in-possession package from its prepetition lenders as it transitions to a franchise-only model, a Texas bankruptcy judge said Wednesday.

  • April 02, 2025

    Bigelow VP Didn't Want Name In Emails About 'USA' Label

    A former R.C. Bigelow vice president testified Wednesday in a trial over the labeling of its products as "manufactured in the USA," agreeing that he once told a Bigelow executive he wished his name wasn't connected to the label, which a California federal judge has found to be false.

  • April 02, 2025

    Cherry Growers Lose Bid To Trim Canada's IP Suit

    A Washington federal judge on Wednesday refused to throw out certain federal and state law claims the Canadian government made against a group of cherry growers in an intellectual property lawsuit over the Staccato cherry variety.

  • April 02, 2025

    Sprouts Hid Unsafe Heavy Metal In Sunflower Butter, Suit Says

    Sprouts Farmers Market misleads customers into thinking its sunflower butter spreads sold under Sprouts' own brand is made with high-quality protein and safe to consume, despite containing dangerous levels of cadmium, which poses serious health risks, according to a proposed class action filed Wednesday in California federal court. 

  • April 02, 2025

    Florida Sued Over New Criminal Penalties For Migrants

    Advocates for immigrant and farmworker rights lodged a putative class action Wednesday challenging a Florida law criminalizing the entry of unauthorized migrants into the state, saying the law gives state officials unprecedented power to prosecute noncitizens and no defense to asylum seekers.

  • April 02, 2025

    'Beer Law' Firm Says Confusion Is Brewing Over Rival's Name

    A North Carolina law firm, one of whose managing partners focuses on advising businesses in the beer, wine and craft beverage industries under the name "Beer Law Center," on Wednesday accused a Colorado law firm of coasting off its reputation by offering services under the confusingly similar "Beer Law HQ."

  • April 02, 2025

    Jack in the Box Accused Of Killing Wash. Franchise Deals

    Two Jack in the Box Inc. franchisees claim the fast-food chain is using a series of recent closures as a pretext to seize the nearly 40 other financially viable locations they operate across Washington state, according to a new lawsuit seeking to stop the alleged takeover.

  • April 02, 2025

    Potbelly Says Insurer Must Cover Wage Transparency Suit

    Sandwich chain owner Potbelly Inc. told a Washington state court that its insurer wrongly refused to cover it in a proposed underlying class action alleging the business violated Washington's wage transparency law by failing to disclose pay and benefit information to job applicants.

  • April 02, 2025

    DOD Must Justify Noncompetitive Commissary Food Deal

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office has backed a food distributor's protest over a Defense Commissary Agency fresh food supply deal, finding the agency wrongly failed to justify its use of a noncompetitive award.

  • April 02, 2025

    9th Circ. Doubts Bang Energy Founder's $272M Verdict Appeal

    A Ninth Circuit panel expressed skepticism Wednesday about an attempt to undo Monster Beverage Corp.'s $272 million false advertising trial win against the founder of Vital Pharmaceuticals Inc., the now-defunct company behind Bang Energy drinks.

  • April 02, 2025

    Hemp Shop's Suit Over Cops' Raid, Arrests Tossed For Good

    A Texas federal judge has dismissed with prejudice a hemp shop owner's suit alleging that city of Port Lavaca police illegally raided her shop and arrested her and an employee on suspicion of selling illegal cannabis.

  • April 02, 2025

    Ohio Brewery Challenges Pa. Beer Import Shipping Limits

    A Cincinnati microbrewery says Pennsylvania laws that restrict how much beer an out-of-state producer can ship to customers in the Keystone State is an unfair burden on businesses and a violation of the U.S. Constitution's dormant commerce clause, according to a lawsuit in federal court.

  • April 02, 2025

    Justices Broaden RICO Reach To Personal Injuries

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday expanded the type of civil actions that can be brought under a federal racketeering statute, asserting that claims stemming from personal injuries are redressable if they can be shown to have caused economic harm.

  • April 01, 2025

    Trump Admin Layoffs 'Probably Broke Laws,' Judge Says

    A Maryland federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Trump administration "probably broke the laws that regulate en masse terminations of government employees," ordering the federal government to reinstate thousands of probationary employees who were abruptly fired from their jobs in 19 states and the District of Columbia.

Expert Analysis

  • 7 Ways 2nd Trump Administration May Affect Partner Hiring

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    President-elect Donald Trump's return to the White House will likely have a number of downstream effects on partner hiring in the legal industry, from accelerated hiring timelines to increased vetting of prospective employees, say recruiters at Macrae.

  • How Trump 2.0 May Change Business In Latin America

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    Companies in Latin America should expect to face more trade restrictions, tighter economic sanctions and enhanced corruption risks, as the incoming administration shifts focus to certain non-U.S. actors, most notably China, says Matteson Ellis at Miller & Chevalier.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Custodian Selection

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    Several recent rulings make clear that the proportionality of additional proposed custodians will depend on whether the custodians have unique relevant documents, and producing parties should consider whether information already in the record will show that they have relevant documents that otherwise might not be produced, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Surprise NC COVID Ruling Revises Reasonable Expectations

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    The North Carolina Supreme Court's recent finding in favor of policyholders in a suit for business interruption coverage due to COVID-19 shutdown orders runs contrary to most other state and federal courts' holdings on the issue, and may revitalize the reasonable expectations doctrine in the state, say attorneys at Goldberg Segalla.

  • Complying With Seasonal Product Labeling Requirements

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    Though the holiday season is in the rearview, many seasonal alcohol products remain in the market, and producers should ensure that their labels comply with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau's additional requirements for such products, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Series

    Exercising On My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While I originally came to the Peloton bike for exercise, one cycling instructor’s teachings have come to serve as a road map for practicing law thoughtfully and mindfully, which has opened opportunities for growth and change in my career, says Andrea Kirshenbaum at Littler.

  • 5 Drug And Device Developments That Shaped 2024

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    The last year saw significant legal developments affecting drug and device manufacturers, with landmark decisions and regulatory changes that require vigilance and agility from the industry, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • How To Manage During A Trade Dispute With USMCA Partners

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    Companies can try to minimize the potential impacts of future tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods, and uncertainty about future trade relations, by evaluating supply chains, considering how they may be modified, and engaging with the new administration over exemptions and the upcoming review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation

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    Litigation will likely play a prominent role in shaping policy outcomes during the second Trump administration, and stakeholders have several tools at their disposal to steer regulatory litigation toward more favorable venues, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Product Safety Issues In 2024 Highlight Need For Vigilance

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    A look at some of the medications and foods that led to significant class actions last year demonstrates the need for robust regulatory systems and proactive measures to protect consumers from defective and harmful products, says Jennifer Taylor at the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin.

  • Lessons Learned From 2024's Top ADA Decisions

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    Last year's major litigation related to the Americans with Disabilities Act highlights that when dealing with accommodation requests, employers must communicate clearly, appreciate context and remain flexible in addressing needs, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Series

    Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Competing in a global esports tournament at Wimbledon last year not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but also sharpened skills that are essential to my day job, including strategic thinking, confidence and networking, says AJ Schuyler at Jackson Lewis.

  • The 6 Most Significant FCRA Litigation Developments Of 2024

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    From a key sovereign immunity decision at the U.S. Supreme Court to a ruling on creditworthiness out of the Seventh Circuit, several important Fair Credit Reporting Act cases wound their way through the courts in 2024, each offering takeaways for both plaintiffs and defendants, say attorneys at Shipkevich.

  • An Associate's Guide To Career Development In 2025

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    As the new year begins, associates at all levels should consider establishing career metrics, fostering key relationships and employing other specific strategies to help move through the complexities of the legal profession with confidence and emerge as trailblazers, say EJ Stern and Amanda George at Fractional Law Firm.

  • Series

    Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.

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