Food & Beverage

  • May 28, 2025

    Distiller Denied New Shot At Wash. State Alcohol Sales Regs

    A federal judge in Washington state gave short shrift to a bid for reconsideration from a New York distillery and two Washington whiskey drinkers who lost their challenge to the Washington state liquor board's rules requiring a physical in-state presence to sell online.

  • May 28, 2025

    Flamin' Hot Cheetos Defamation Suit Snuffed Out, For Now

    A California federal judge Wednesday granted Frito-Lay Inc.'s motion to strike a former employee's discrimination and defamation suit claiming he invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos and had his livelihood destroyed when the company disavowed his story, finding he's unlikely to win his claims, but giving him another shot at amendment.

  • May 28, 2025

    NC BBQ Joint Roasts Flagship Over Trademark Use

    A chain of fast casual barbecue restaurants in North Carolina has accused the original location of misusing the brand's trademarks to sell sauces and rubs beyond the bounds of its alleged licensing agreement, according to a newly designated state Business Court complaint.

  • May 28, 2025

    Coca-Cola Sued Over '100% Natural Flavors' In Sprite, Fanta

    The Coca-Cola Co. deceptively labels its Sprite and Fanta brands of sodas as being made with "100% natural flavors" despite that they contain synthetic sweetener ingredients and additives like citric acid and aspartame, according to a proposed class action filed Tuesday in California federal court.

  • May 27, 2025

    Texas Legislature Sends THC Ban To Governor's Desk

    Texas lawmakers on Tuesday gave final approval to a bill banning products with hemp-derived THC and sent the legislation to Gov. Greg Abbott's desk, advancing one of the goals of his administration.

  • May 27, 2025

    Renaissance Fair Co. Says Landlord Planned 'Knock-Off' Event

    The operator of a New England Renaissance fair has accused its landlord of stalling on a long-term lease extension in order to plan a "knock-off version" of the event.

  • May 27, 2025

    Next Meats Beats Investor Suit Over 'Short Swing' Profits

    The controlling shareholders of Japan-based Next Meats have beaten, for good, a suit alleging they collected unlawful short-swing profits after a New York federal judge found the plaintiff could not satisfy the so-called Morrison test of demonstrating a domestic securities transaction that can be tried in U.S. courts.

  • May 27, 2025

    Bayer, Monsanto On Hook For $611M Roundup Cancer Awards

    A Missouri appellate panel Tuesday affirmed a trial court's $611 million award reduced from a jury's $1.56 billion verdict for three people who claimed their cancer was caused by Bayer unit Monsanto Co.'s Roundup weedkiller, saying a law professor's testimony about a Ninth Circuit decision was not prejudicial.

  • May 27, 2025

    Mobile App Infringement Suit Against Bridgestone Dropped

    A New Jersey company and tire maker Bridgestone Americas Inc. on Tuesday jointly asked a Texas federal judge to dismiss a case in which Bridgestone was accused of using patented mobile device communication technology in its mobile app.

  • May 27, 2025

    6th Circ. Urged To Revive FedEx, Kellogg Pension Suits

    FedEx and Kellogg retirees urged the Sixth Circuit to revive two proposed class actions alleging their ex-employers' use of outdated actuarial assumptions shortchanged the value of their pension annuity benefits, arguing that definitions of the term "actuarial equivalent" from the time federal benefits law was enacted supported their appeals.

  • May 27, 2025

    DOJ Pushes Back Against Agri Stats Recusal Bid

    The U.S. Department of Justice told a Minnesota federal judge Friday there is no reason to recuse himself from a case accusing Agri Stats of helping meat processors exchange sensitive information because the clerk who allegedly created a conflict is not working on the case.

  • May 27, 2025

    Ex-Domino's Drivers Seek Class Cert. In Vehicle Costs Suit

    A trio of former Domino's delivery drivers asked an Ohio federal judge to certify their proposed classes of current and former drivers in and outside the Buckeye State as they pursue claims that Domino's franchisee Team Pizza Inc. took them below minimum wage by shuffling vehicle costs onto workers.

  • May 27, 2025

    Ghee Butter Buyer Denied Class Cert. In 'Good Fat' Label Suit

    A California federal judge has denied a bid for class certification in a suit alleging the sellers of ghee, a clarified butter, falsely claimed that it contained "good fat," saying the lead plaintiff failed to show that anyone besides her was misled by the labeling.

  • May 27, 2025

    Justices Deny Food Wrapping Co.'s Prior Art Petition

    The owner of invalidated food wrapping patents failed to persuade the U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday to review its allegations that the Federal Circuit wrongly presumes prior art is always enabled.

  • May 23, 2025

    Law360 Reveals Titans Of The Plaintiffs Bar

    This past year, a handful of attorneys secured billions of dollars in settlements and judgments for both classes and individual plaintiffs against massive companies and organizations like Facebook, Dell, the National Association of Realtors, Johnson & Johnson, UFC and Credit Suisse, earning them recognition as Law360's Titans of the Plaintiffs Bar for 2025.

  • May 23, 2025

    Amazon.com Sued Over Toxic Metals Found In Rice Products

    Consumers hit Amazon.com with a proposed class action in Washington federal court Friday, seeking to hold the retail giant liable for selling rice products that allegedly contain "alarmingly high" levels of toxic heavy metals.

  • May 23, 2025

    Groups Look To Block Trump's Monument Fishing Order

    Three conservation groups are challenging a Trump administration proclamation that will open up a 400,000-square-mile Hawaiian national marine monument to commercial fishing, saying the president exceeded his Antiquities Act and constitutional authority in doing so.

  • May 23, 2025

    IP Notebook: Trump's AI Plan, ChatGPT Logs, Dewberry Cited

    In this round of emerging issues in copyright and trademark law, Law360 takes a closer look at comments submitted to the National Science Foundation and other federal agencies to create an Artificial Intelligence Action Plan as part of an executive order from President Donald Trump.

  • May 23, 2025

    Dallas Jury Enters $9.4M Verdict Against El Rancho Chain

    A Dallas County jury said that a Texas trucking company is owed nearly $10 million from the El Rancho Supermercado grocery chain and its shipping arm over contract breaches that occurred after the chain was acquired by a new company.

  • May 23, 2025

    NC Biz Court Serves Up Wins In Real Estate Commission Fight

    North Carolina's business court gave a food service company and a real estate broker partial wins in their ongoing commission dispute, ruling that the broker is entitled to commissions on transactions it has not been paid for but cannot require the food firm to use it for future deals.

  • May 23, 2025

    Ruby Tuesday Fired Bartender On Medical Leave, Court Told

    Ruby Tuesday fired a bartender while she was out on medical leave recovering from a broken hip that she sustained in a car accident and refused to let her return to her former role, she said in a suit filed in North Carolina federal court.

  • May 23, 2025

    Wrigley Scion Can't Avoid Fraud Claims, Pot Co. Ex-Execs Say

    Former executives of troubled medical marijuana company Parallel said its former CEO, scion to the Wrigley gum fortune, shouldn't be allowed to escape a lawsuit accusing him of lying about share prices to lure executive talent, slamming his motion to dismiss.

  • May 23, 2025

    Canada Won't Expedite WTO Clash Over Chinese Ag Tariffs

    The Canadian government on Friday abandoned an effort to fast-track its World Trade Organization case targeting Chinese tariffs, while nevertheless defending its right to do so because the case involves perishable food products.

  • May 22, 2025

    Bilfinger Urges NC Justices To Skip Cargill Arbitration Case

    International construction company Bilfinger is urging North Carolina's top court not to review a decision nixing Cargill's bid to revive arbitration it initiated in a dispute stemming from a construction contract, disputing the food conglomerate's argument that the case raises novel issues.

  • May 22, 2025

    Fla. Man Gets 6 Years For Laundering $1M Into Bitcoin

    A Florida man was sentenced Thursday to six years in prison for running a "no questions asked" business that converted more than $1 million into bitcoin to help others — including romance scammers and a drug dealer — hide their funds, federal prosecutors in Massachusetts said.

Expert Analysis

  • More Environmental Claims, More Greenwashing Challenges

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    As companies prepare for the 2025 greenwashing landscape, they should take heed of a D.C. appellate decision that shows that environmental claims are increasingly subject to attack and provides plaintiffs with a playbook for challenging corporate claims of sustainability, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Recent Suits Show Antitrust Agencies' Focus On HSR Review

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's suit this month against KKR for inaccurate and incomplete premerger filings, along with other recent cases, highlights the agency's increasing scrutiny of Hart-Scott-Rodino Act compliance for private equity firms, say attorneys at Willkie.

  • Royal Canin Ruling Won't Transform Removal Jurisdiction

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Royal Canin USA v. Wullschleger means that federal district courts must now remand whenever an amended complaint excises grounds for federal jurisdiction — but given existing litigation strategy and case law trends, this may ultimately preserve, rather than alter, the status quo, say attorneys at Norton Rose.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: Nov. And Dec. Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses five federal court decisions and identifies practice tips from cases involving takings clause violations, breach of contract with banks, life insurance policies, employment and automobile defects.

  • Mentorship Resolutions For The New Year

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    Attorneys tend to focus on personal achievements or career milestones when they set yearly goals, but one important area often gets overlooked in this process — mentoring relationships, which are some of the most effective tools for professional growth, say Kelly Galligan at Rutan & Tucker and Andra Greene at Phillips ADR.

  • Takeaways From FDA's Updated Confirmatory Trial Guidance

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    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration's latest draft guidance about accelerated drug approval indicates the FDA's intent to address the significant lag time between accelerated approval and full approval of drugs and may help motivate the industry to complete confirmatory trials, say attorneys at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Key Trends In PFAS Regulation And Litigation For 2025

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    The critical policy milestones for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances expected in 2025 will not only shape the trajectory of PFAS regulation, but also set key precedents for environmental accountability, potentially reshaping the corporate approach to these "forever chemicals" for decades to come, say attorneys at MG+M.

  • The Most Important Schedule I Drug Regulatory Shifts Of 2024

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    In 2024, psychedelics and cannabis emerged as focal points in medical research, marking a pivotal year in their legal and regulatory journey, but these developments presented both opportunities and challenges within this evolving field, say Kimberly Chew at Husch Blackwell and Stephen Kim at Avicanna.

  • UPS Penalty Demonstrates Goodwill Impairment Red Flags

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    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's recent $45 million penalty against UPS for withholding reports of goodwill impairment should warn investors to watch for the telltale signs of companies inflating their worth by delaying tests that would reveal similar declines in the value of intangible assets, say attorneys at Labaton Keller.

  • Series

    Coaching Little League Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While coaching poorly played Little League Baseball early in the morning doesn't sound like a good time, I love it — and the experience has taught me valuable lessons about imperfection, compassion and acceptance that have helped me grow as a person and as a lawyer, says Alex Barnett at DiCello Levitt.

  • 7 Employment Contracts Issues Facing DOL Scrutiny

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    A growing trend of U.S. Department of Labor enforcement against employment practices that limit workers' rights and avoid legal responsibility shines a light on seven unique contractual provisions that violate federal labor laws, and face agressive litigation from the labor solicitor, says Thomas Starks at Freeman Mathis.

  • 5 Litigation Funding Trends To Note In 2025

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    Lawyers and their clients must be prepared to navigate an evolving litigation funding market in 2025, made more complicated by a new administration and the increasing overall cost of litigation, says Jeffery Lula at GLS Capital.

  • The Fed. Circ. In 2024: 5 Major Rulings To Know

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    In 2024, the Federal Circuit provided a number of important clarifications to distinct areas of patent law – including design patent obviousness, expert testimony admissions and patent term adjustments – all of which are poised to have an influence going forward, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • Rethinking Litigation Risk And What It Really Means To Win

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    Attorneys have a tendency to overestimate litigation risk before summary judgment and underestimate risk after it, but an eight-stage litigation framework can clarify risk at different points and help litigators reassess what true success looks like in any particular case, says Joshua Libling at Arcadia Finance.

  • How DOGE's Bite Can Live Up To Its Bark

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    All signs suggest that the Department of Government Efficiency will be an important part of the new Trump administration, with ample tools at its disposal to effectuate change, particularly with an attentive Republican-controlled Congress, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

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