Food & Beverage

  • April 03, 2024

    China, Australia Make Deal To End Wine Duty Spat

    Australia has dropped its World Trade Organization case against China after Beijing agreed to end hefty tariffs on wine imports from Down Under, a notice circulated to the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body confirmed Wednesday.

  • April 03, 2024

    Insurer Says Rail Co. Must Pay In $400K Spoiled Chicken Suit

    Over $400,000 worth of frozen chicken thighs rotted on the move to Oregon, and an insurer who covered the putrid loss told a South Carolina federal court that the rail company responsible should pay for the screw-up.

  • April 03, 2024

    Anheuser-Busch 'Choking Off' Beer Supply, Distributor Says

    A New York beer distributor accused Anheuser-Busch InBev of slowly cutting off its supply using force that could only be exerted by such a "corporate behemoth," according to a suit filed in Manhattan federal court.

  • April 03, 2024

    Beekeeper Groups Seek Fees From EPA After 9th Circ. Appeal

    Attorneys for beekeeper groups in an appeal over a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency decision on insecticides have asked the Ninth Circuit to award nearly $750,000 in legal fees after a ruling that hammered the EPA but left the agency's decision intact.

  • April 03, 2024

    Chiquita Says $6.9M Win Being Held Up By Banana Exporter

    Chiquita Brands told a Florida federal court that an Ecuadorian banana exporter deserves to be fined for skirting court orders requiring the exporter to hand over financial information needed to execute a $6.9 million international arbitral award to Chiquita.

  • April 03, 2024

    1-800-Flowers Seeks $4.3M In Fees After Rival's IP Suit Failed

    After dispatching a trademark infringement lawsuit from Edible Arrangements last month, rival retailer 1-800-Flowers.com told a Georgia federal judge on Tuesday it should be entitled to up to $4.3 million attorney fees for being forced to defend against the "anemic" and "oppressive" litigation.

  • April 03, 2024

    Blue Bell Creameries Panel Seeks Del. Derivative Suit Revival

    Citing a failure to reach a mediated settlement, a Blue Bell Creameries Inc. board panel has moved to reactivate a long-sidelined Delaware Court of Chancery derivative suit seeking to hold the ice cream company's past directors and officers accountable for deadly food-safety oversight failures in 2015.

  • April 02, 2024

    Amazon Driver Took, Shared Pics of Actor's Home, Suit Says

    Actor Deon Cole sued Amazon in California state court alleging that one of its delivery drivers took photos of the inside of his home and shared them in a group chat while dropping off groceries, saying Amazon negligently and recklessly hired the driver.

  • April 02, 2024

    Black Farmers Say USDA Biased Against Minority Borrowers

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture has continued its practice of discriminating against farmers of color by disproportionately denying or slow-walking loans and imposing unfair terms based on applicants' race, according to a proposed class action filed in Washington, D.C., federal court.

  • April 02, 2024

    2 More Poultry Cos. Settle Wage-Fixing Suit

    Poultry processing workers sought preliminary approval Monday for deals with Case Foods Inc. and Mountaire Farms totaling $22 million that would make the companies the 10th and 11th wage-fixing defendants to settle out of a broader Maryland federal court case where total payouts reach $217.25 million.

  • April 02, 2024

    Food Co. Gets New Shot At H-2B Hires For Cinco De Mayo

    A U.S. Department of Labor appeals board revived a food producer's bid to hire 55 foreign workers to help out with increased demand during Cinco de Mayo celebrations, saying the company clearly showed there's a production uptick during the spring through the summer.

  • April 02, 2024

    CBP To Crack Down On 'Vague' Cargo Descriptions

    Importers will have a harder time bringing in shipments that aren't descriptive enough for border officials to identify following an announcement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection that the agency will issue messages advising of noncompliance.

  • April 02, 2024

    7th Circ. Won't Revive Parents' Claims in Abbott Formula Row

    The Seventh Circuit upheld on Tuesday the dismissal of parents' claims they were economically harmed from buying infant formula that could have been contaminated with bacteria at an Abbott Laboratories plant, saying their alleged injuries aren't enough to prove standing. 

  • April 02, 2024

    Enviro Org. Says Feds Failed To Act On Protections For Bees

    Conservationists are asking an Arizona federal judge to order the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to decide whether four bee species — including the iconic American bumblebee — should be protected under the Endangered Species Act.

  • April 01, 2024

    Fla. Judge Refuses To Pause Wage Rule For H-2A Workers

    A Florida federal judge on Friday adopted a magistrate judge's recommendation to uphold a U.S. Department of Labor rule raising the wages of H-2A agricultural workers, rejecting objections from farm groups that the report was overly deferential to the government's arguments.

  • April 01, 2024

    Feds Catch Win In Alaska Subsistence Fishing Dispute

    A federal judge has granted the U.S. government's bid for an early win in its challenge against Alaska over subsistence fishing rules in the Kuskokwim River, which runs through the state's southwest region, ruling that the United States is entitled to a permanent injunction.

  • April 01, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Last week, Delaware's Court of Chancery saw a $42.5 million settlement, dismissal of two big suits with two more remanded back, and new cases from shareholders of Walt Disney, Donald Trump's Truth Social, Rivian Automotive and BarkBox.

  • April 01, 2024

    Sports Illustrated Hits 'Gangster' Ex-Publisher With IP Suit

    The owner of Sports Illustrated alleges in a $49 million lawsuit filed Monday in Manhattan federal court that an energy drink mogul acted like a "gangster" when he became the magazine's publisher, tearing apart a long-standing licensing agreement while sabotaging the brand and holding hostage valuable intellectual property.

  • April 01, 2024

    Bankrupt Water Co. Investors Say CEO Stole Millions

    Investors of now-defunct water purification company Water Now said its former CEO ran the business into the ground while enriching himself, telling a Texas federal court Friday that the executive used the company to take out significant loans and line his own pockets.

  • April 01, 2024

    Tribe, Allies Defend Standing To Fight Corps' Fish Farm Permit

    The Army Corps of Engineers is trying to "muddy the water" to fend off a challenge to a nationwide permit opening ocean waters to aquaculture operations, failing to justify why the permit shouldn't be scrapped, the Quinault Indian Nation and nonprofit allies have told a Washington federal judge.

  • April 01, 2024

    Swedish Match Sued Over Allegedly Youth Targeted Zyn Ads

    Philip Morris International and its subsidiary Swedish Match North America LLC have been hit with a putative class action from an unnamed California man alleging he became addicted to the company's Zyn smokeless oral nicotine pouches when he was a minor because of the product's marketing campaign.

  • April 01, 2024

    Mass. Top Court At A Loss Over 7-Eleven Wage Case

    The top court in Massachusetts on Monday appeared stumped by whether owners of 7-Eleven franchisees should be classified as employees under state law, with one justice calling the issue "almost incomprehensible."

  • April 01, 2024

    Fla. High Court Says Voters Will Choose Whether To Legalize Pot

    Florida voters will have the opportunity to legalize recreational marijuana at the ballot box this November, after the state Supreme Court on Monday rejected a challenge brought by the state's attorney general and ruled that the proposal didn't violate a state rule restricting ballot measures to only one subject.

  • April 01, 2024

    Reduced Dolphin Threat Revives US-New Zealand Fish Trade

    New Zealand's fisheries can begin shipping seafood to the U.S. again, after the U.S. Court of International Trade accepted a finding on Monday that the New Zealand government had taken steps to protect the endangered Maui dolphin from harmful fishing techniques.

  • April 01, 2024

    Aramark Accuses Aetna Of 'Gamesmanship' In Benefits Fight

    Aramark said Aetna sued it over an arbitration pact in Connecticut as a tactical response to Aramark's Texas suit claiming the insurer cost it millions by approving shoddy health benefit claims, and urged a federal judge to ship Aetna's suit to Texas as well.

Expert Analysis

  • What Justices' Pork Ruling Means For Interstate Cannabis

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    The U.S. Supreme Court’s recent National Pork v. Ross ruling added a new wrinkle to dormant commerce clause jurisprudence as the nation’s federal courts grapple with a novel paradox raised by interstate cannabis commerce, and pending appellate cases may shed additional light on these issues later this year, say Tommy Tobin and Andrew Kline at Perkins Coie.

  • If Justices End Chevron Deference, Auer Could Be Next Target

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    If the U.S. Supreme Court decides next term to overrule its Chevron v. NRDC decision, it may open the door for a similar review of the Auer deference — the principle that a government agency can interpret, through application, ambiguous agency regulations, says Sohan Dasgupta at Taft Stettinius.

  • In-Office Engagement Is Essential To Associate Development

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    As law firms develop return-to-office policies that allow hybrid work arrangements, they should incorporate the specific types of in-person engagement likely to help associates develop attributes common among successful firm leaders, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Data Breach Rulings Stress Duty For Protecting Worker Data

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    Two recent rulings from the Eleventh Circuit have restricted employers' ability to defend class action claims stemming from data breaches that target employees' personal information, highlighting the importance of cybersecurity measures that acknowledge a heightened obligation to protect workers’ data, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • Fed. Circ. Grill Ruling Clears Up Original Patent Requirement

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    The Federal Circuit's recent decision rejecting a floating grill company's patent reissue request clarifies the original patent requirement and offers several cautionary lessons for legal practitioners, including the need to think critically and creatively about disclosure, says Alexis Cohen at WilmerHale.

  • Complex Hemp Processes Need Nimble Regulatory Approach

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    Since the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp and certain hemp-derived products, THC limits have presented different issues at each stage of the complex production process, revealing the need for continued adjustments and flexible regulations as Congress deliberates the 2023 Farm Bill, says David Kouba at Arnold & Porter.

  • Perspectives

    A Judge's Pitch To Revive The Jury Trial

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    Ohio state Judge Pierre Bergeron explains how the decline of the jury trial threatens public confidence in the judiciary and even democracy as a whole, and he offers ideas to restore this sacred right.

  • Why Privacy And Trade Secret Law Are On A Collision Course

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    The conflict between the legal regimes of trade secret law and data privacy law is growing as companies increasingly collect and use data about their customers, making it key for organizations to find ways to comply with both laws in order to protect their intellectual property and the privacy of their customer, says Jenny Colgate at Rothwell Figg.

  • How To Recognize And Recover From Lawyer Loneliness

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    Law can be one of the loneliest professions, but there are practical steps that attorneys and their managers can take to help themselves and their peers improve their emotional health, strengthen their social bonds and protect their performance, says psychologist and attorney Traci Cipriano.

  • Opinion

    Litigation Funding Disclosure Should Be Mandatory

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    Despite the Appellate Rules Committee's recent deferral of the issue of requiring third-party litigation funding disclosure, such a mandate is necessary to ensure the even-handed administration of justice across all cases, says David Levitt at Hinshaw.

  • Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid

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    As the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team strives to take home another World Cup trophy, their 2022 pay equity settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation serves as a good reminder that winning in the court of public opinion can be more powerful than a victory inside the courtroom, says Hector Valle at Vianovo.

  • 6 Joint-Inventorship Lessons From Fed. Circ.'s Hormel Ruling

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    The recent Federal Circuit ruling in HIP v. Hormel, finding that David Howard of HIP was not a joint inventor of a Hormel patent, offers patent litigation and application tips, like discussing any work performed under a joint research agreement and assigning invention ownership rights to a specific entity, say attorneys at BCLP.

  • Colorado Antitrust Reform Carries Broad State Impact

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    Colorado recently became the latest state to update and expand its antitrust laws, and the new act may significantly affect enforcement and private litigation, particularly when it comes to workers and consumers, says Diane Hazel at Foley & Lardner.

  • What Calif. 'Take-Home' COVID Ruling Means For Employers

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    The California Supreme Court’s recent holding in Kuciemba v. Victory that employers are not liable for the spread of COVID-19 to nonemployee household members reflects a sensible policy position, but shouldn't be seen as a sea-change in the court's employee-friendly approach, say Brian Johnsrud and Brandon Rainey at Duane Morris.

  • The Issues Brewing Around Starbucks Labor Practice Cases

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    Starbucks is faced with fighting off another push for a nationwide injunction against firing any employees that support unionization, and there's a distinct possibility that the company and the National Labor Relations Board could be fighting the same fight over and over in various locations, says Janette Levey at Levey Law.

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