Food & Beverage

  • September 03, 2025

    9th Circ. Upholds Ruling Against Wash. Tribe's Fishing Claims

    A Ninth Circuit panel Wednesday affirmed a lower court's ruling that determined a Washington tribe fell short of its evidentiary burden to establish that a 19th century treaty included its customary fishing grounds near the Puget Sound after vacating the dispute for further review last year.

  • September 03, 2025

    1st Circ. Doubts Eateries' Suit Over Outdoor Dining Limits

    The First Circuit appeared unlikely on Wednesday to revive a suit on behalf of restaurant owners in Boston's North End over the city's restrictions on outdoor dining, repeatedly questioning the basis for the plaintiffs' retaliation claims.

  • September 03, 2025

    Patent Company Fights Baker Botts Atty's Bid To Trim Suit

    A patent licensing company and its owner asked a Florida federal judge to reject a bid from a Baker Botts LLP attorney seeking to trim their defamation case, saying the motion was premature as discovery had not been completed.

  • September 03, 2025

    Northwestern Mutual Seeks $23M Tax Refund For Free Meals

    Northwestern Mutual is seeking a refund of $23 million in taxes for on-campus lunches it provided to employees, telling a Wisconsin federal court that the IRS improperly denied the company an exclusion on taxable income for the meals.

  • September 03, 2025

    Nationwide Unit Needn't Cover Restaurateur In Fraud Disputes

    The former co-manager of a defunct Colorado restaurant venture cannot get coverage for a suit alleging he defrauded a lender and a separate bankruptcy proceeding, a New York federal court ruled, finding a Nationwide unit has no duty to defend him under a policy issued to the entity he partnered with.

  • September 03, 2025

    Special Master Says Sherwin-Williams' Conduct Merits Fees

    A special master has recommended that a Pennsylvania federal court require paint maker Sherwin-Williams to pay fines, including attorney fees, due to its "unreasonably aggressive litigation strategy" in a patent dispute with a rival.

  • September 03, 2025

    EPA Withdraws Slaughterhouse Water Pollution Rule

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Wednesday withdrew a Biden-era proposal that would have imposed stricter water discharge regulations on meat and poultry slaughtering, processing and rendering facilities across the country.

  • September 03, 2025

    Stoel Rives Gets Pot Co. Fraud Case Sent To Arbitration

    A California federal judge has sent a nonalcoholic cannabis beer company's claims alleging it was duped by Stoel Rives LLP and its clients into spending $2.2 million on an illicit business to arbitration, saying it can't escape a valid arbitration clause by refusing to participate.

  • September 02, 2025

    Overnight Oat Co. Exaggerates Protein Content, Suit Says

    The Chicago-based maker of Mush Overnight Oats, which was featured on "Shark Tank," was hit with a proposed class action in California federal court by a woman who claims it overstates the protein amount consumers will get from eating its products.

  • September 02, 2025

    2nd Circ. Affirms Arizona Iced Tea's Audit Expense Coverage

    Hanover Insurance Co. must cover the maker of Arizona Iced Tea for additional audit expenses from a power surge that erased years of financial data, the Second Circuit determined Tuesday, finding that delays and additional costs were directly traced to the surge and therefore covered.

  • September 02, 2025

    Mich. Judge Nixes 5-Hour Energy Rival's Antitrust Suit

    A Michigan federal judge has tossed a lawsuit accusing 5-Hour Energy of blocking competitors from the market through deals to have its products displayed at checkout counters, finding a competitor failed to adequately allege antitrust injury.

  • September 02, 2025

    Longtime Frankfurt Kurnit Litigator Joins Proskauer In NY

    Proskauer Rose LLP continues expanding its litigation team, announcing Tuesday it is bringing in a Frankfurt Kurnit Klein & Selz PC commercial litigator as a partner in its New York office.

  • September 02, 2025

    Sysco Keeps Trial Win In Motorcycle Accident Injury Suit

    A Massachusetts appeals panel on Tuesday refused to order a new trial in a man's suit against Sysco Corp. and one of its drivers over a motorcycle accident that resulted in the loss of his leg, leaving in place a jury verdict clearing Sysco and putting the liability on another driver.

  • September 02, 2025

    Ex-Target Legal Chief To See $3M In 'Income Continuation' Pay

    Target's former chief legal and compliance officer, who left the retailer in June after less than a year, is set to receive just over $3 million in "income continuation" payments, according to a securities filing Friday.

  • September 02, 2025

    Skadden, Paul Weiss Guiding Kraft Heinz On Strategic Split

    The Kraft Heinz Co. announced a plan Tuesday to separate into two independent, publicly traded companies, in a strategic transaction guided by legal advisers Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP and Skadden Arps Slate Meagher & Flom LLP.

  • August 29, 2025

    Ga. Sheriff Scores Early Win In Bar License Suspension Row

    A Georgia federal judge has granted the Bibb County sheriff an early win in a bar operator's suit claiming the venue's alcohol licenses was wrongfully suspended for 90 days after a drive-by shooting that killed one person and injured seven others.

  • August 29, 2025

    NC Tex-Mex Chain Says Ex-Employee Defected With Recipes

    The owner of a string of Tex-Mex restaurants has accused a former employee in North Carolina Business Court of taking the chain's proprietary recipes, menus, drinks and decor several states away to use at another restaurant in Missouri.

  • August 29, 2025

    4 Firms Advise As PepsiCo Adds $585M Celsius Stake

    PepsiCo Inc. said on Friday it has acquired $585 million of newly issued 5% convertible preferred stock in Celsius Holdings Inc., part of a broader effort to fine-tune its presence in the U.S. and Canadian energy drink markets, in a deal guided by four law firms.

  • August 29, 2025

    Taxation With Representation: White & Case, Paul Weiss

    In this week's Taxation With Representation, private equity firm Sycamore Partners completes its $24 billion acquisition of Walgreens Boots Alliance Inc., telecommunications company EchoStar sells wireless spectrum licenses to AT&T and Keurig Dr Pepper acquires JDE Peet's in a deal that aims to create a "global coffee champion."

  • August 28, 2025

    Ga. Family Loses Sex Assault Suit Over Underage Drinking

    The Georgia Court of Appeals said this week a couple can't sue the owner of a home where the couple's teenage daughter was allegedly sexually assaulted, ruling that state law shielded the owner from liability despite allegations he allowed underage drinking at the house.

  • August 28, 2025

    DOJ Seeks Kroger Patient Data In Opioid FCA Probe

    The U.S. Department of Justice urged an Ohio federal court to order The Kroger Co. to turn over patient names and other health information the supermarket chain has redacted in responses to the government throughout a False Claims Act investigation into its opioid dispensing practices.

  • August 28, 2025

    Cincoro Tequila Falls Short Of 'Gold Standard,' Suit Says

    Cincoro tequila isn't truly 100% agave under authenticity and quality regulatory standards, but instead contains significant amounts of ethanol "not derived from agave plants," a proposed class action filed in Florida federal court alleges.

  • August 28, 2025

    PBGC Must Reconsider Bakery Union's $132M Bailout Bid

    The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. must formally reexamine whether union bakery drivers can collect $132 million from a federal pension rescue program, a New York federal judge said Thursday after lifting a stay on the order following the Second Circuit's decision to reject the agency's rehearing bid.

  • August 28, 2025

    Labor Atty Rejoins McGuireWoods After Food Company Stint

    McGuireWoods LLP announced Wednesday that it has welcomed an alumnus back to its labor and employment team following his stint as an associate general counsel for packaged meat company Smithfield Foods Inc.

  • August 27, 2025

    Stew Leonard's, Cookie Co. Face Trimmed Allergy Death Case

    Grocery chain Stew Leonard's and a manufacturer must face punitive damages and product liability claims by the estate of a professional dancer who ate mislabeled cookies and died from an allergic reaction, but both companies won't have to face stand-alone wrongful death claims under a separate statute, a Connecticut judge has ruled.

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    The Legal Education Status Quo Is No Longer Tenable

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    As underscored by the fallout from California’s February bar exam, legal education and licensure are tethered to outdated systems, and the industry must implement several key reforms to remain relevant and responsive to 21st century legal needs, says Matthew Nehmer at The Colleges of Law.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Relevance Redactions

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    In recent cases addressing redactions that parties sought to apply based on the relevance of information — as opposed to considerations of privilege — courts have generally limited a party’s ability to withhold nonresponsive or irrelevant material, providing a few lessons for discovery strategy, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Opinion

    Section 1983 Has Promise After End Of Nationwide Injunctions

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court recently struck down the practice of nationwide injunctions in Trump v. Casa, Section 1983 civil rights suits can provide a better pathway to hold the government accountable — but this will require reforms to qualified immunity, says Marc Levin at the Council on Criminal Justice.

  • Series

    Playing Soccer Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Soccer has become a key contributor to how I approach my work, and the lessons I’ve learned on the pitch about leadership, adaptability, resilience and communication make me better at what I do every day in my legal career, says Whitney O’Byrne at MoFo.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Learning From Failure

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    While law school often focuses on the importance of precision, correctness and perfection, mistakes are inevitable in real-world practice — but failure is not the opposite of progress, and real talent comes from the ability to recover, rethink and reshape, says Brooke Pauley at Tucker Ellis.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From ATF Director To BigLaw

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    As a two-time boomerang partner, returning to BigLaw after stints as a U.S. attorney and the director of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, people ask me how I know when to move on, but there’s no single answer — just clearly set your priorities, says Steven Dettelbach at BakerHostetler.

  • Influencer Marketing Partnerships Face Rising Litigation Risk

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    In light of recent class actions claiming that brands and influencers are misleading consumers with deceptive marketing practices — largely premised on the Federal Trade Commission's endorsements guidance — proactive compliance measures are becoming more important, say attorneys at Olshan Frome.

  • Mulling Worker Reclassification In Light Of No Tax On OT

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    The One Big Beautiful Bill Act's no-tax-on-overtime provisions provide tax relief for employees who regularly work overtime and are nonexempt from the Fair Labor Standards Act, but reclassifying employees may lead to higher compliance costs and increased wage and hour litigation for employers, says Steve Bronars at Edgeworth Economics.

  • 7 Ways Employers Can Avoid Labor Friction Over AI

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    As artificial intelligence use in the workplace emerges as a key labor relations topic in the U.S. and Europe, employers looking to reduce reputational risk and prevent costly disputes should consider proactive strategies to engage with unions, say attorneys at Baker McKenzie.

  • Series

    Playing Baseball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Playing baseball in college, and now Wiffle ball in a local league, has taught me that teamwork, mental endurance and emotional intelligence are not only important to success in the sport, but also to success as a trial attorney, says Kevan Dorsey at Swift Currie.

  • What Cos. Must Note From EU's Delivery Hero-Glovo Ruling

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    The European Commission’s recent landmark decision in Delivery Hero-Glovo, sanctioning companies for the first time over a stand-alone no-poach cartel agreement, underscores the potential antitrust risks of horizontal cross-ownership between competitors, say lawyers at McDermott.

  • Ultra-Processed Food Claims Rely On Unproven Science

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    Plaintiffs' arguments that ultra-processed foods are responsible for the nationwide increase in certain chronic illnesses, though a novel approach to food-based personal injury claims, depend on theories that are still being tested, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • A Look At Trump 2.0 Antitrust Enforcement So Far

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    The first six months of President Donald Trump's second administration were marked by aggressive antitrust enforcement tempered by traditional structural remedies for mergers, but other unprecedented actions, like the firing of Federal Trade Commission Democrats, will likely stoke heated discussion ahead, says Richard Dagen at Axinn.

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

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