Food & Beverage

  • April 09, 2024

    Challengers To H-2A Wage Rule Denied Extra Discovery

    A federal judge has refused to let agricultural businesses gather more information on the decision-making behind new H-2A agricultural worker minimum wages, rejecting claims that more discovery was warranted in light of a September order allowing the wages to take hold.

  • April 09, 2024

    UK Court Affirms Sweet VAT Ruling For Jumbo Marshmallows

    Jumbo-size marshmallows are not candy like regular marshmallows because they're meant to be roasted, so they qualify for a value-added tax exemption for food, the U.K. Upper Tribunal ruled in upholding a lower court's findings.

  • April 09, 2024

    Jury Must Hear Terrorism Payments Were Extortion, Chiquita Says

    Banana company Chiquita argued Tuesday it should not be blocked from presenting evidence about threats made to its employees by a Colombian paramilitary group and about other businesses making payments to the group at a coming bellwether trial in a long-running multidistrict litigation accusing Chiquita of funding the paramilitary group that allegedly killed the plaintiffs' relatives.

  • April 09, 2024

    Tenn. Justices Don't Let Trader Joe's Avoid Direct Claims

    The Tennessee Supreme Court has decided not to let Trader Joe's East Inc. escape direct liability and premises liability claims in a slip-and-fall suit by admitting that one of its employees is at fault, saying that the rule the store proposed doesn't fit with the state's comparative fault system.

  • April 09, 2024

    Medieval Times Drops Appeal In TM Battle With Union

    Medieval Times has dropped its bid to revive trademark infringement claims against the labor union representing its entertainers, according to a filing in the Third Circuit.

  • April 08, 2024

    Red Robin Reaches $600K Deal To End EEOC Claims In Wash.

    Red Robin has agreed to pay $600,000 and bolster its anti-sexual harassment policies to end a U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission lawsuit alleging a line cook in Washington state retaliated against female co-workers for objecting to his offensive comments, according to a proposed consent decree filed in federal court in Seattle.

  • April 08, 2024

    H-2A Workers Want OK On $900K OT Deal With Va. Farms

    Two Mexican farmworkers are asking a Virginia federal court to greenlight their $900,000 settlement with an agricultural association and two farms that they say cheated temporary workers out of $2.5 million in overtime pay.

  • April 08, 2024

    Mich. Judge Not Persuaded Wineries' Agritourism Is Speech

    A Michigan federal judge has found a local ban on wineries hosting weddings is not a commercial speech restriction despite the advertising potential of such events, again trimming a contentious zoning dispute ahead of trial. 

  • April 08, 2024

    High Court Creating DEI Headwinds, Colo. AG Says

    Colorado Attorney General Phil Weiser said Monday that the state's major losses last year in cases involving gay rights and prosecuting threatening speech were part of what he views as a trend at the U.S. Supreme Court of hampering efforts to increase diversity, equity and inclusion.

  • April 08, 2024

    Pepperidge Farm Distributor Can Keep Delivering Cookies

    Pepperidge Farms will have to keep using a distributor that is suing the cookie company for showing up with six moving vans on a Friday night to seize its inventory, after the California federal judge who handed down the preliminary injunction accused Pepperidge Farms of trying to "hijack" the distributorship.

  • 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.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI

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    With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.

  • Rite Aid's Reasons For Ch. 11 Go Beyond Opioid Suits

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    Despite opioid-related lawsuits being the perceived reason that pushed Rite Aid into bankruptcy, the company's recent Chapter 11 filing reveals its tenuous position in the pharmaceutical retail market, and only time will tell whether bankruptcy will right-size the company, says Daniel Gielchinsky at DGIM Law.

  • Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.

  • Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD

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    Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • How Fla. Bankruptcy Ruling May Affect Equity Owners

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    A Florida bankruptcy court’s recent ruling in Vital Pharmaceuticals — which rejected the Third Circuit’s Majestic Star decision that determined a bankrupt corporation’s flow-through status was not protected by the automatic stay — may significantly affect how equity owners can mitigate the impact of flow-through structures in bankruptcy, say Eric Behl-Remijan and Natasha Hwangpo at Ropes & Gray.

  • M&A Ruling Buoys Loss Calculation Method, R&W Insurance

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    The recent Southern District of New York decision in Taylor Precision Products v. Larimer affirms the use of EBITDA as a basis to quantify loss, highlighting the potential shortcomings of a traditional seller indemnity compared to representation and warranty insurance, say Mark Schwartz at Lockton, and William O’Neil and Gretchen Scavo at Winston & Strawn.

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