Food & Beverage

  • April 08, 2024

    Feds Say Cannabis Cos. Can't Challenge CSA Pot Ban

    The U.S. government is urging a Massachusetts federal court to throw out a suit by several cannabis companies alleging the ban on cannabis under the Controlled Substances Act is unconstitutional, saying they don't have standing to sue because their activities aren't being prosecuted.

  • April 08, 2024

    8th Circ. Upholds NLRB's Broad Remedies Against Meat Co.

    The Eighth Circuit on Monday upheld a National Labor Relations Board decision finding a meat processor in Nebraska illegally bargained in bad faith with a United Food and Commercial Workers affiliate, backing the board's broad remedies order that included reimbursing the union for negotiating expenses.

  • April 08, 2024

    Farmers Want USDA Barred From 'Discriminatory' Aid Choices

    A group of Texas farmers asked a federal judge to bar the U.S. Department of Agriculture from prioritizing minority groups as a part of a distribution scheme for the agency's disaster assistance and pandemic relief programs, saying the programs continue to cause harm to them and the public.

  • April 08, 2024

    Starbucks Drops TM Suit After Fake Websites Go Dark

    Starbucks has agreed to drop a trademark lawsuit claiming a pair of websites ripped off its "twin-tailed siren" logo and other brand material to sell fake franchise deals, saying in a recent Washington federal court filing that the allegedly unauthorized activity has stopped.

  • April 08, 2024

    Hormel Settling Pork Price-Fixing Claims For Over $11M

    Three plaintiff classes in the ongoing pork price-fixing litigation against Hormel Foods have reached preliminary settlements worth over $11 million with the company and are now asking the Minnesota federal judge overseeing the case to grant them initial approval.

  • April 08, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Last week, a much-watched Chancery Court Match.com decision got reversed, a Philip Morris motion got stubbed out, and a long-frozen Blue Bell Creameries suit started churning again. Delaware's Court of Chancery also saw new suits filed for legal fees, arguments over multibillion-dollar pay packages, and a judge flummoxed over Truth Social.

  • April 08, 2024

    Hotel Co. Comes Out On Top In Passover Fiasco Row 

    A bench trial over a "Passover celebration gone wrong" at a Pennsylvania hotel ended Friday largely in favor of the hotel operator, with $1,447.60 in contract damages for the caterer plaintiff offset by a $5,164.28 judgment in the hotel's favor for damages allegedly caused by guests who created plumbing issues.

  • April 08, 2024

    Glancy Prongay To Lead EB-5 Grocery Co. Fraud Stock Suit

    Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP will lead a proposed class action alleging Asian specialty grocery chain Maison Solutions' stock price was severely damaged after a third-party research report accused it and its executives of participating in illegal activities, including using supermarkets as a front for immigration fraud.

  • April 05, 2024

    Wow Bao Says Customer Can't Prove Kiosk Data Collection

    Asian fast-food chain Wow Bao has urged an Illinois state court judge to grant it summary judgment in a biometric privacy suit targeting the company's self-serve kiosks, arguing it cannot be held liable for collecting or possessing data it never in fact had.

  • April 05, 2024

    Texas Justices Reinstate Defense Verdict In Store Fall Suit

    The Texas Supreme Court on Friday reversed a lower appellate court's decision to reinstate a slip-and-fall suit against an Albertsons LLC grocery store, saying that although certain instructions may have been erroneously given to the jury, the effect was harmless and not unfair.

  • April 05, 2024

    Jolie Seeks Abuse Evidence, Pitt Rips 'Pure Pretext' Defense

    Actress Angelina Jolie has asked a California state judge to force her estranged husband, Brad Pitt, to produce evidence of his alleged "history of physical abuse" in litigation over her sale of their French vineyard, while Pitt has filed his own evidentiary motion arguing Jolie's defense argument is "pure pretext."

  • April 05, 2024

    Neb. Beef Seller Says No Proof It Joined Wage-Fixing Scheme

    A Colorado federal judge gave a Nebraska beef wholesaler another chance to petition for dismissal from a class action accusing it of participating in a meat industry wage-fixing scheme, after the company filed a motion that didn't follow the court's page limit.

  • April 05, 2024

    Judge Lourie's Dissent Revives Debate Over FDA Safe Harbor

    U.S. Circuit Judge Alan Lourie has urged the Federal Circuit to reconsider its precedent over a safe harbor that allows infringement when companies are developing products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and many attorneys agreed with him that the appeals court has been improperly expanding the safe harbor for decades.

  • April 05, 2024

    Starbucks Tells Judge Union Dealings Aren't 'Mission Critical'

    Starbucks denied Friday that complying with federal labor law was "mission critical" to its business as it urged a Washington state judge to dismiss a shareholder suit accusing company leaders of union busting, which they say tanked Starbucks' reputation.

  • April 05, 2024

    Beverage Giant Sued Under Illinois Genetic Privacy Law

    Reyes Holdings, the largest beer distributor in the United States, has been sued in Illinois state court by a proposed class of job applicants who claim their genetic privacy rights were violated when they were required to submit to physical exams and inquiries about their family medical history as a condition of employment at the beverage distributor or its subsidiaries.

  • April 05, 2024

    Food Co. Shells Out $1.5M To End 401(k) Mismanagement Suit

    A California food manufacturer will pay $1.5 million to end a proposed class action alleging it loaded a $323 million employee 401(k) plan with excessive fees and costly, underperforming investment options, according to settlement details unveiled in federal court Friday.

  • April 05, 2024

    Off The Bench: ACC Drama, Football Firing Suits Intensify

    In this week's Off The Bench, Florida State University cannot escape an ACC lawsuit that may enforce a nine-figure penalty against the school if it should leave the conference, while both Northwestern University and the Arizona Cardinals face more legal headaches over their decisions to fire key personnel.

  • April 04, 2024

    Fla. Judge Won't Dismiss Suit Claiming Restaurant EB-5 Fraud

    A Florida state judge on Thursday declined to dismiss a lawsuit accusing a Miami restaurant group of mismanaging immigrant investors' funds, finding that the investors had successfully alleged fraud against the former manager of the investment company.

  • April 04, 2024

    Arby's, Sonic, Dunkin Settle Mystery Shopper IP Claims

    A Texas federal judge has stayed all deadlines in Fall Line Patents LLC's suit that accuses Arby's Restaurant Group Inc., Sonic Franchising LLC and Dunkin Brands Inc. of infringing its mystery shopper patent with their respective mobile applications, after the parties filed a joint bid saying they have settled their claims in principle.

  • April 04, 2024

    Domino's Franchise Shorted Mileage, Pa. Delivery Driver Says

    The owners of a group of Domino's Pizza franchises have been hit with a putative collective action in Pennsylvania federal court from an ex-delivery driver claiming drivers at their stores are paid less than minimum wage because of their "flawed" policy of reimbursing mileage expenses.

  • April 04, 2024

    8 Bronx Men Charged In Brazen 'Wild West' Beer Train Heists

    Eight men are charged with looting thousands of dollars' worth of beer from railyards and distribution sites throughout the Northeast in what prosecutors described as a "Wild West"-like crime spree over a two-year period in which the suspected ringleader is believed to have scouted members on Instagram touting promises of making "100k+ in a month."

  • April 04, 2024

    Judge Axes Experts In Chiquita MDL, With More On The Way

    A Florida federal judge presiding over a long-running multidistrict litigation against Chiquita Brands rejected expert witnesses offered by both Chiquita and plaintiffs who accuse the banana grower of financially supporting a defunct Colombian paramilitary group that allegedly killed their relatives.

  • April 04, 2024

    Wash. AG Defends Authority To Block Kroger-Albertsons Deal

    The Washington Attorney General's Office has told a state court that a local consumer protection law allows it to bring actions challenging anti-competitive mergers and urged the court to reject contentions from Kroger and Albertsons that the state lacks authority to block a nationwide deal.

  • April 04, 2024

    Great Lakes Fishing Pact Tramples Treaty Rights, Tribe Says

    The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians is asking the Sixth Circuit to undo a Great Lakes fishing decree between it and four other tribes and the state of Michigan, arguing the decree was entered without its consent and imposes upon its treaty rights.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • What Lawyers Must Know About Calif. State Bar's AI Guidance

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    Initial recommendations from the State Bar of California regarding use of generative artificial intelligence by lawyers have the potential to become a useful set of guidelines in the industry, covering confidentiality, supervision and training, communications, discrimination and more, say attorneys at Debevoise.

  • Industry Must Elevate Native American Women Attys' Stories

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    The American Bar Association's recent research study into Native American women attorneys' experiences in the legal industry reveals the glacial pace of progress, and should inform efforts to amplify Native voices in the field, says Mary Smith, president of the ABA.

  • Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • IP Suits Over Brand Owner Font Use Offer Cautionary Tales

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    Dyan Finguerra-DuCharme and Mallory Chandler at Pryor Cashman consider the history of fonts and point to recent court decisions that show how brand owners can avoid legal typeface troubles.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: Mexico

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    ESG has yet to become part of the DNA of the Mexican business model, but huge strides are being made in that direction, as more stakeholders demand that companies adopt, at the least, a modicum of sustainability commitments and demonstrate how they will meet them, says Carlos Escoto at Galicia Abogados.

  • The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms

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    In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.

  • FTC Warning Letters Note 5 Mistakes For Influencers To Avoid

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    The Federal Trade Commission recently sent warning letters to two trade associations and 12 health influencers over their social media posts, offering insight into how the agency plans to enforce its updated endorsement guides and highlighting five concerns to keep in mind for marketing campaigns, says Gonzalo Mon at Kelley Drye.

  • Ohio Voters Legalize Cannabis — What Comes Next?

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    This month, voters approved a citizen-initiated statute that legalizes marijuana for recreational use in Ohio, but the legalization timeline could undergo significant changes at the behest of the state's lawmakers, say Daniel Shortt and David Waxman at McGlinchey Stafford.

  • Opinion

    A Telecom Attorney's Defense Of The Chevron Doctrine

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    The Chevron doctrine, which requires judicial deference to federal regulators, is under attack in two U.S. Supreme Court cases — and while most telecom attorneys likely agree that the Federal Communications Commission is guilty of overrelying on it, the problem is not the doctrine itself, says Carl Northrop at Telecommunications Law Professionals.

  • Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary

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    The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

  • What Cos. Should Know About FTC's Proposed Junk Fee Rule

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    The Federal Trade Commission recently announced a notice of proposed rulemaking targeting junk fees and how businesses may advertise prices to consumers — and since it would give the agency powers to seek monetary penalties against businesses that do not comply, companies should look to get ahead now, say Phyllis Marcus and Nicole Johnson at Hunton Andrews.

  • AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier

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    Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World

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    As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: South Korea

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    Numerous ESG trends have materialized in South Korea in the past three years, with impacts ranging from greenwashing prevention and carbon neutrality measures to workplace harassment and board diversity initiatives, say Chang Wook Min and Hyun Chan Jung at Jipyong.

  • Employer Takeaways From 2nd Circ. Equal Pay Ruling

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    The Second Circuit 's recent decision in Eisenhauer v. Culinary Institute of America reversed a long-held understanding of the Equal Pay Act, ultimately making it easier for employers to defend against equal pay claims brought under federal law, but it is not a clear escape hatch for employers, say Thelma Akpan and Katelyn McCombs at Littler.

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