Food & Beverage

  • November 14, 2025

    Poultry Producer Avoids 401(k) Forfeiture Lawsuit

    A poultry producer defeated a proposed class action Friday alleging it unlawfully used forfeited 401(k) funds to cover its contributions to the plan, with a Mississippi federal judge finding the plan's terms gave the company discretion over how to allocate the funds.

  • November 17, 2025

    CORRECTED: Estate Of Slain Clerk Wins $15.3M In Gaming Co. Suit

    Two gaming machine companies, a convenience store owner, and a convicted murderer have been hit with a $15.3 million verdict in a lawsuit filed by the family of a Pennsylvania store clerk who was fatally shot during a 2020 robbery alleged to have been prompted by the presence of skill games on the premises.

  • November 14, 2025

    Okla. AG, Governor Feud Over Tribal Hunting Enforcement

    Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt appointed a special prosecutor to go after Native Americans who hunt or fish on tribal lands without state licenses after Attorney General Gentner Drummond said last month he would not prosecute the cases.

  • November 14, 2025

    Customer PFAS Cases Against Conn. Water Cos. Can Proceed

    Connecticut's utility and public health regulators do not have the authority to grant the relief that customers are seeking through two proposed class actions alleging The Connecticut Water Co. and Aquarion Water Co. sold water contaminated with "forever chemicals," a state court judge ruled in declining to dismiss each case.

  • November 14, 2025

    US To Slash Tariff On Swiss Imports To 15% In Trade Deal

    The U.S. will reduce a 39% tariff on Swiss imports to 15% as part of a framework trade agreement reached with Switzerland, according to Friday announcements by the White House and the Swiss government.

  • November 14, 2025

    ByHeart Sued Over Baby Food Botulism Contamination

    A proposed class of consumers is suing ByHeart Inc., alleging that the company failed to warn buyers that its baby formula is contaminated with Clostridium botulinum, which can cause rare but potentially fatal infant botulism.

  • November 13, 2025

    7th Circ. Judge Questions Pilgrim's Chicken Price-Fix Win

    A Seventh Circuit judge seemed skeptical Thursday that a brief email acceptance and an unsigned agreement are enough to say Pilgrim's Pride had definitively settled chicken and other protein price-fixing claims with Sysco before a Burford Capital LLC unit picked them up to continue litigating.

  • November 13, 2025

    'Gray Market' Indian Snack Imports Get Temporarily Banned

    Indian snack food maker Haldiram's won a federal court order temporarily banning a food supplier in Washington state from importing or distributing its branded products over claims that the supplier repackaged and sold food not meant for sale in the U.S.

  • November 13, 2025

    Texas Coke Bottler Defeats Suit Over 401(k) Management

    A Dallas Coca-Cola bottler escaped a proposed class action claiming it saddled its 401(k) plan with subpar investment options and misused forfeited retirement plan funds, with a Texas federal judge saying Thursday the workers' allegations were too flimsy to stay in court.

  • November 13, 2025

    Hemp Policy At Crossroads After Government Reopening Bill

    Hemp industry advocates are pledging to use the one-year gap between enactment and implementation of the government funding agreement, which effectively recriminalized most hemp-derived THC products, to craft new regulatory legislation that stops short of a full ban.

  • November 13, 2025

    Latin American Trade Deals With US Include Zero Tariff Rates

    Latin American countries including El Salvador, Guatemala, Ecuador and Argentina committed to nontariff reductions for U.S. producers in exchange for a zero tariff rate on many imports not readily available in the U.S., under details of framework trade agreements the White House unveiled Thursday.

  • November 13, 2025

    Tribe Scores Early Win Against Michigan Fruit Processor

    A Michigan federal judge has ruled that a fruit-processing company illegally discharged millions of gallons of untreated wastewater into wetlands that feed Michigan's Grand Traverse Bay, granting an early win to a Native American tribe and two local environmental nonprofit groups.

  • November 13, 2025

    Judge Rejects NY Tribe's Bid To Revive Eel-Fishing Rights

    A New York federal judge won't reconsider a decision determining that members of the Shinnecock Indian Nation don't have aboriginal eel-fishing rights off Long Island free of state regulatory fees, saying their arguments lack merit and they can't point to any decisions or data that the court overlooked.

  • November 13, 2025

    Calif. Sheriff's Atty Sanctioned Over Discovery In Hemp Suit

    A California federal judge has sanctioned an attorney for a California county and its sheriff's office over bad faith conduct during discovery in a suit over 500 acres of bulldozed hemp crop, saying the attorney's arguments against the sanction show a fundamental misunderstanding of his obligations.

  • November 13, 2025

    Gov't Funding Deal Ends SNAP Benefits Battle

    President Donald Trump's signing of a government funding bill Wednesday rendered moot lawsuits seeking to make his administration tap emergency funds for food assistance benefits, the administration told the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday.

  • November 13, 2025

    Red Bull Faces EU Probe Over Market Abuse Allegations

    The European Commission said Thursday that it had opened an antitrust probe into Red Bull GmbH, saying the energy drink giant may have abused its dominance over the market by trying to stop competing drinks from being sold at retailers.

  • November 12, 2025

    IHOP Franchise Owner Accused Of Wage Theft In Colo. Suit

    A former IHOP employee sued the owner of several IHOP franchises in Colorado state court on Monday, saying an a proposed class action it illegally required employees to distribute tips to assistant managers and pay them up to $20 of their wages each shift for helping with service and cleaning.

  • November 12, 2025

    Congress Approves Spending Bill Banning Intoxicating Hemp

    The government funding agreement approved by both chambers of Congress includes a provision that would effectively recriminalize most THC products derived from hemp.

  • November 12, 2025

    Colo. Hemp Farmers' Subpoena 'Premature' In $200M Suit

    A Colorado federal judge quashed two hemp growers' subpoena against a state solar company Wednesday and similarly shot down their attempt to force another solar company to produce certain documents in their lawsuit alleging that the company caused $200 million in crop damage while constructing a solar panel project.

  • November 12, 2025

    Kratom Consumer Drops Suit Over Seltzer's 'Addictive' Effects

    A Washington consumer who claims she became addicted to beverage maker Mitra-9's kratom-based seltzers, powders and shots has agreed to drop her lawsuit weeks after the company called the buyer out for claiming to have bought the products before it was even established.

  • November 12, 2025

    Pork Buyers Fight Bid To Pause Price-Fixing Case For Appeal

    Pork buyers told a Minnesota federal judge not to hit pause on their price-fixing case while Agri Stats Inc. and major producers push the Eighth Circuit to force the judge's recusal over a law clerk's previous work on a related case.

  • November 12, 2025

    2nd Circ. Doubts NLRB Dress Code Test In Starbucks Appeal

    A Second Circuit panel appeared skeptical Wednesday of the revised test underlying the National Labor Relations Board's ruling that Starbucks illegally forbade roastery workers to wear union T-shirts but appeared to buy that the agency's reviews of employers' dress codes generally deserve deference.

  • November 12, 2025

    China Continues To Drive Surge In Global Patent Applications

    The number of patent applications filed worldwide in 2024 surged, continuing years of growth due in significant part to filings out of China, according to a World Intellectual Property Organization report released Wednesday.

  • November 12, 2025

    Ex-Prince Lobel Atty Charged With Forging Liquor Licenses

    The former chair of Prince Lobel Tye LLP's restaurant and hospitality practice has been indicted on charges that she forged liquor licenses for three clients before she was fired last year, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said Wednesday.

  • November 12, 2025

    Federal Judge Says Lack Of English Can't Undo $5.3M Award

    A Florida federal judge on Wednesday recommended that a $5.3 million arbitration award against an Illinois sugar company be granted in a contract breach case, finding that its previous counsel's ineffective representation due to his improper English wasn't sufficient to undo the award. 

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • Series

    Playing Baseball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing baseball in college, and now Wiffle ball in a local league, has taught me that teamwork, mental endurance and emotional intelligence are not only important to success in the sport, but also to success as a trial attorney, says Kevan Dorsey at Swift Currie.

  • What Cos. Must Note From EU's Delivery Hero-Glovo Ruling

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    The European Commission’s recent landmark decision in Delivery Hero-Glovo, sanctioning companies for the first time over a stand-alone no-poach cartel agreement, underscores the potential antitrust risks of horizontal cross-ownership between competitors, say lawyers at McDermott.

  • Ultra-Processed Food Claims Rely On Unproven Science

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    Plaintiffs' arguments that ultra-processed foods are responsible for the nationwide increase in certain chronic illnesses, though a novel approach to food-based personal injury claims, depend on theories that are still being tested, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • A Look At Trump 2.0 Antitrust Enforcement So Far

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    The first six months of President Donald Trump's second administration were marked by aggressive antitrust enforcement tempered by traditional structural remedies for mergers, but other unprecedented actions, like the firing of Federal Trade Commission Democrats, will likely stoke heated discussion ahead, says Richard Dagen at Axinn.

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Tips For Cos. From California Climate Reporting FAQ

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    New guidance from the California Air Resources Board on how businesses must implement the state's sweeping climate reporting requirements should help companies assess their exposure, understand their disclosure obligations and begin documenting good-faith compliance efforts, says Thierry Montoya at Frost Brown.

  • FDA's Hasty Policymaking Approach Faces APA Challenges

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    Though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has abandoned its usual notice-and-comment process for implementing new regulatory initiatives, two recent district court decisions make clear that these programs are still susceptible to Administrative Procedure Act challenges, says Rachel Turow at Skadden.

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • What 9th Circ. Cracker Barrel Ruling Means For FLSA Cert.

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    The Ninth Circuit's decision in Harrington v. Cracker Barrel suggests a settling of two procedural trends in Fair Labor Standards Act jurisprudence — when to issue notice and where nationwide collectives can be filed — rather than deepening circuit splits, says Rebecca Ojserkis at Cohen Milstein.

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