Food & Beverage

  • April 10, 2026

    Ill. Jury Adds $17M Punitive Award To Baby Formula Verdict

    Illinois jurors on Friday slapped another $17 million in punitive damages atop the $53 million they awarded the previous afternoon to four mothers who accused Abbott Laboratories of selling preterm infant formula that contributed to a serious and often fatal gut condition their babies developed.

  • April 10, 2026

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    The past week in London has seen the owner of an oil tanker stuck in the Strait of Hormuz sued by an energy company and an insurer, law firm Boodle Hatfield LLP and two Serle Court barristers sued by a group of Winston Churchill's great-grandchildren, and Welsh Water hit with a fresh class action over polluted rivers.

  • April 09, 2026

    Uber Fights Uphill To Ax FTC, States' Subscription Fight

    A California federal judge appeared open Thursday to keeping alive the Federal Trade Commission and states' claims that Uber dupes consumers into its paid subscription service, doubting that Uber's disclosures clearly communicate its subscription practices "as a matter of law," and saying certain state claims are "on very firm ground."

  • April 09, 2026

    BuzzBallz Rival Says 'Joke' Domain Grab Not Funny Or Legal

    A claim by cocktail company BuzzBallz that its purchase of an upcoming rival's web domains was a "joke" is a shallow attempt to avoid responsibility for its anticompetitive cybersquatting actions, beverage company Patco Brands argued while urging a California federal court to deny BuzzBallz's motion for summary judgment.

  • April 09, 2026

    LA Cannabis Edibles Maker Settles Prop 65 Warning Suit

    A Los Angeles cannabis-infused edibles producer has agreed to pay $70,000 to end a Proposition 65 lawsuit accusing the company of deliberately hiding the state-required warning with a peel-back product label, with most of the money going to the plaintiff's lawyer.

  • April 09, 2026

    Mich., Animal Rights Groups Take Aim At US's Egg Price Suit

    Animal advocacy groups and Michigan officials moved to end the U.S. government's federal lawsuit seeking to void the state's ban on eggs produced by caged hens, arguing Thursday the federal government lacks standing because it isn't the subject of enforcement, as it doesn't commercially sell, produce or distribute eggs in Michigan.

  • April 09, 2026

    Judge Says Poultry Enviro Deals In 20-Year Suits Fall Short

    An Oklahoma federal judge has rejected a bid by the state and several poultry companies to enter consent decrees in their two-decade-old dispute, finding the agreements did not go far enough to address pollution of the Illinois River Watershed.

  • April 09, 2026

    Abbott Hit With $53M Verdict Over Baby Formula Harms

    A Cook County jury on Thursday awarded a total of $53 million in damages to four mothers claiming Abbott Laboratories' preterm baby formula contributed to their babies' development of a serious and often fatal gut condition, in the first of such claims to go to trial in Illinois.

  • April 09, 2026

    Dunkin' Stores Cut $250K Deal In EEOC Disability Bias Suit

    Fifteen Dunkin' franchisees and their management company will pay $250,000 to end a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit alleging they forced employees with disabilities and medical restrictions onto unpaid leave, according to a Thursday filing in Massachusetts federal court.

  • April 09, 2026

    Welch's Maker Tells ITC Rival Infringing 2 Fruit Snack Patents

    The manufacturer of Welch's Fruit Snacks brought its fight against what it claims are patent-infringing yogurt-covered snacks produced by rival Cibo Vita to the U.S. International Trade Commission, the ITC said Thursday.

  • April 09, 2026

    Fed Circ Probes Standing In Cocoa Import Child Labor Case

    Federal Circuit judges challenged a labor rights organization's arguments for standing to force U.S. Customs and Border Protection's response to a petition to ban U.S. chocolate producers from importing cocoa from the Ivory Coast during oral arguments Thursday.

  • April 09, 2026

    Restaurant Slams Sushi Chef's 'Soap Opera' Sanctions Bid

    A Connecticut restaurant urged a federal judge to reject sanctions sought by a sushi chef alleging wage violations, arguing that the plaintiff's counsel has tried to turn a routine deposition dispute into a "soap opera."

  • April 09, 2026

    Chancery Agrees To Fast-Track $58M Food Sale Fight

    The Delaware Chancery Court on Thursday agreed to fast-track a dispute over a $58 million food distribution deal, finding that the buyer's claims of ongoing competitive harm warrant expedited proceedings and a near-term hearing on a preliminary injunction.

  • April 09, 2026

    DOL Urges 11th Circ. To Scrap ERISA Exhaustion Rule

    The U.S. Department of Labor urged the full Eleventh Circuit to overturn precedent making it the only appellate court requiring workers to exhaust administrative remedies before bringing any statutory claims under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act. arguing that the standard is unfair and in conflict with ERISA.

  • April 08, 2026

    Starbucks Ends Wash. 'Patent Troll' Suit Against 2 Irish Cos.

    Starbucks Corp. agreed to drop its lawsuit against two Irish companies the coffee giant had accused of breaking a Washington law against "bad faith" patent infringement claims, according to a joint motion Tuesday asking a Washington federal judge to dismiss the action.

  • April 08, 2026

    JLL Lines Up $115M Retail Centers Portfolio Sale

    JLL Capital Markets arranged the $115 million sale of a seven-property, 558,000-square-foot portfolio of grocery-anchored retail centers operating in four East Coast states, the company has announced.

  • April 08, 2026

    SEC Says Booze Co. Ginned Up Bogus Sales In Investor Fraud

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has sued the former CEO of a now-defunct organic alcohol company in Minnesota federal court for allegedly raising $2.4 million from investors after recording sham transactions to prop up the company amid financial difficulties.

  • April 08, 2026

    Abbott Urges Ill. Jury To Reject Claims Formula Led To NEC

    Counsel for Abbott Laboratories told an Illinois jury Wednesday that four infants, whose mothers allege the company's preterm baby formula caused their serious intestinal illness, would have developed the disease "even without a drop of formula" given other risk factors and that the absence of other feeding options at the time of the babies' births dooms their parents' claims.

  • April 08, 2026

    Texas Hemp Interests Say New THC Rule Defies Legislature

    A group of Texas hemp interests is suing state officials to halt implementation of new regulations restricting the sale of certain hemp products, alleging that the policy unlawfully sidestepped the authority of state lawmakers.

  • April 08, 2026

    MatchaBar Sold Lower-Grade Tea As 'Ceremonial,' Suit Says

    A matcha powder by MatchaBar Inc. is falsely marketed as "ceremonial grade" worthy of a Japanese tea ceremony despite independent testing by an expert showing the product actually exhibits "bitterness and astringency in taste," making it unlikely for formal ceremonies, according to a proposed class action by two consumers.

  • April 08, 2026

    Stella Rosa Maker Sues Texas Rival Over 'Rosa 32' Name

    San Antonio Winery hit a Houston-based family-owned beverage company with a trademark infringement suit in Texas federal court on Tuesday, contesting its use of "Rosa 32" in connection with its wines, which is confusingly similar to the plaintiff's "Rosa 22" digestif that is part of its famed Stella Rosa collection.

  • April 07, 2026

    11th Circ. Reinstates Ex-Pepsi Worker's Title VII Race Bias Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday revived a Black former Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. employee's suit alleging he was fired for complaining about racist harassment, saying the lower court relied too heavily on a long-established legal framework for analyzing workplace bias evidence when dismissing his case.

  • April 07, 2026

    Keurig's K-Cup Pods Are Largely Unrecyclable, Suit Says

    Keurig Dr Pepper was hit with a proposed class action in California federal court Tuesday alleging that it misleads consumers into believing that its single-serve plastic coffee pods are recyclable despite the fact that most recycling centers in the country don't accept them due to their size, irregular shape and other characteristics.

  • April 07, 2026

    Wash. Panel Nixes Insurer's Gordon Rees Malpractice Claims

    A Washington Court of Appeals panel said a Great American insurance unit can't inherit an equipment manufacturer's legal malpractice claims against Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP and Sinars Slowikowski LLC because of "potential conflict" between the insurer and manufacturer in the underlying dispute over a climber's fall.

  • April 07, 2026

    Squires Panel To Rehear Herd Management Patent Invalidation

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires has convened a rehearing panel to reconsider whether a Patent Trial and Review Board decision that invalidated an animal management patent had done so properly.

Expert Analysis

  • Reviewing 2025's Most Pertinent Wiretap Developments

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    2025 was a remarkable year in the world of web tracking wiretapping litigation, not only for the increased caseload but also because of numerous developing theories of liability, with disputes expected to continue unabated in 2026, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • Series

    Nature Photography Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Nature photography reminds me to focus on what is in front of me and to slow down to achieve success, and, in embracing the value of viewing situations through different lenses, offers skills transferable to the practice of law, says Brian Willett at Saul Ewing.

  • What Defense Teams Must Know About PFAS Testing Methods

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    Whether testing for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances produces results meaningful for litigation depends on the validity of the sampling methodology — so effectively defending these claims requires understanding the scientific and legal implications of different PFAS testing protocols, say attorneys at Hollingsworth.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practical Problem Solving

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    Issue-spotting skills are well honed in law school, but practicing attorneys must also identify clients’ problems and true goals, and then be able to provide solutions, says Mary Kate Hogan at Quarles & Brady.

  • Opinion

    A Uniform Federal Rule Would Curb Gen AI Missteps In Court

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    To address the patchwork of courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence, curbing abuses and relieving the burden on judges, the federal judiciary should consider amending its civil procedure rules to require litigants to certify they’ve reviewed legal filings for accuracy, say attorneys at Shook Hardy.

  • AG Watch: Texas Junk Fee Deal Shows Enforcement Priorities

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    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton's recent $9.5 million settlement with online travel agency website Booking Holdings for so-called junk fee practices follows a larger trend of state attorneys general who have taken similar action and demonstrates the significant penalties that can follow such allegations, say attorneys at Kelley Drye.

  • Series

    The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Integrating Practice Groups

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    Enacting unified leadership and consistent client service standards ensures law firm practice groups connect and collaborate around shared goals, turning a law firm merger into a platform for growth rather than a period of disruption, says Brian Catlett at Fennemore Craig.

  • Opinion

    Supreme Court Term Limits Would Carry Hidden Risk

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    While proposals for limiting the terms of U.S. Supreme Court justices are popular, a steady stream of relatively young, highly marketable ex-justices with unique knowledge and influence entering the marketplace of law and politics could create new problems, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

  • Series

    Knitting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Stretching my skills as a knitter makes me a better antitrust attorney by challenging me to recalibrate after wrong turns, not rush outcomes, and trust that I can teach myself the skills to tackle new and difficult projects — even when I don’t have a pattern to work from, says Kara Kuritz at V&E.

  • Prepping For 2026 Shifts In Calif. Workplace Safety Rules

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    California's Division of Occupational Safety and Health is preparing for significant shifts and increased enforcement in 2026, so key safety programs — including injury and illness prevention plans, workplace violence plans, and heat illness prevention procedures — must remain a focus for employers, says Rachel Conn at Conn Maciel.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Welcome To Miami

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    After nearly 20 years in operation, the Miami Complex Business Litigation Division is a pioneer upon which other jurisdictions in the state have been modeled, adopting many innovations to keep its cases running more efficiently and staffing experienced judges who are accustomed to hearing business disputes, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • How MAHA Is Taking Shape At The State Level

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    The national spotlight on the federal government's Make America Healthy Again movement is bolstering state-level actions regarding potential health impacts of certain food ingredients, increasing the difficulty and importance of maintaining effective compliance programs, say attorneys at Cooley.

  • AI Evidence Rule Tweaks Encourage Judicial Guardrails

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    Recent additions to a committee note on proposed Rule of Evidence 707 — governing evidence generated by artificial intelligence — seek to mitigate potential dangers that may arise once machine outputs are introduced at trial, encouraging judges to perform critical gatekeeping functions, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • Series

    The Law Firm Merger Diaries: Getting The Message Across

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    Communications and brand strategy during a law firm merger represent a crucial thread that runs through every stage of a combination and should include clear messaging, leverage modern marketing tools and embrace the chance to evolve, says Ashley Horne at Womble Bond.

  • New 'Waters' Definition Could Bring Clarity — And Confusion

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    Federal agencies have proposed a new regulatory definition of "waters of the United States," a key phrase in the Clean Water Act — but while the change is meant to provide clarity, it could spark new questions of interpretation, and create geographic differences in how the statute is applied, say attorneys at Bracewell.

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