Food & Beverage

  • May 06, 2025

    Firms Beat Malpractice Suit Over Chicken Plant Pollution

    Delaware's Supreme Court on Tuesday affirmed a trial court's dismissal of a malpractice suit against Brockstedt Mandalas Federico LLC and Schochor Staton Goldberg & Cardea PA for their alleged mishandling of claims associated with a child's "catastrophic injuries" purportedly caused by contamination from a chicken plant.

  • May 06, 2025

    Ex-Investor In Cannabis-Infused Water Wants Charges Tossed

    A former shareholder of American Premium Water Corp. is urging an Ohio federal judge to throw out the charges against him alleging that he participated in a $10 million pump-and-dump scheme, saying the indictment doesn't properly allege his wrongdoing.

  • May 06, 2025

    Food Co. Harvest Sherwood Hits Ch. 11 Amid Sprouts Lawsuit

    Meat distributor Harvest Sherwood Food Distributors Inc. has filed for Chapter 11 protection in Texas bankruptcy court with up to $559 million in debt, saying it intends to wind down its remaining business and pursue claims against Sprouts Farmers Market over allegedly withheld payments.

  • May 05, 2025

    CoreLife Eatery Settles $7.8M Fraud Claim Over COVID Funds

    CoreLife Eatery will pay over $7.8 million to settle allegations that it falsely claimed eligibility for a pandemic-era program meant to boost small businesses, the U.S. Attorneys' Office for the Northern District of New York announced Monday.

  • May 05, 2025

    Citizens Policy May Cover BIPA Claim, 7th Circ. Says

    An Illinois food ingredient manufacturer may be able to tap into one of its Citizens insurance policies for coverage of an underlying biometric privacy suit, if the company can prove it provided the insurer with timely notice of the claim, the Seventh Circuit said.

  • May 05, 2025

    Judge Backs Biden-Era Protections For H-2A Farmworkers

    A North Carolina federal judge tossed a challenge to a Biden-era regulation that enhanced the organizing rights of seasonal farmworkers with H-2A visas, saying Monday that the U.S. Department of Labor didn't act arbitrarily and capriciously when it issued the regulation.

  • May 05, 2025

    PCA Tribunal Favors UK In Sandeel Fishing Dispute With EU

    The United Kingdom has a right to stop the commercial fishing of sandeels in U.K. waters as it looks to protect endangered seabirds, a Permanent Court of Arbitration tribunal has ruled in a dispute brought by the European Union.

  • May 05, 2025

    Burger King Can't Chop Claims It Cooked Up Misleading Ads

    Burger King can't toss a proposed class action alleging its advertisements misrepresent the size and amount of toppings in its iconic Whopper hamburger, a Florida federal judge ruled Monday, saying the consumers have plausibly alleged the advertisement photos "go beyond mere exaggeration or puffery."

  • May 05, 2025

    IHOP Franchisee, Ex-Server End Sex Harassment Suit

    A North Carolina federal judge agreed to dismiss a legal battle between an IHOP franchisee and a former server who said she was fired for rejecting a manager's sexual advances, as the parties had said a previous ruling from another judge doomed the worker's suit.

  • May 05, 2025

    Calif. Chamber Gets Acrylamide Cancer Warnings Deleted

    A California federal judge has sided with the state's Chamber of Commerce in a suit challenging Proposition 65's requirement that companies warn buyers about dietary acrylamide in their products, finding that it violates the First Amendment's protections against compelled speech.

  • May 05, 2025

    Fla. Voters To Decide On Property Tax Exemption For Ag Land

    Florida will have voters decide via a statewide ballot measure during the state's next general election on a proposed amendment to the state constitution to exempt property on designated agricultural land from taxes under a House joint resolution approved by lawmakers.

  • May 05, 2025

    Agri Stats Wants Judge Recused From DOJ Case

    Agri Stats asked the Minnesota federal judge overseeing the government's case accusing the data firm of helping meat processors exchange sensitive information to recuse himself because one of his law clerks previously worked on the case for one of the state enforcers.

  • May 05, 2025

    Supreme Court Won't Review Mass. Wind Farm Permits

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review the federal government's approval of a large offshore wind energy project in the waters off the Massachusetts coast, rejecting allegations that the go-ahead ignored the risks the project poses to the commercial fishing industry.

  • May 02, 2025

    Abbott Beats Bellwether In Formula MDL Ahead Of Trial

    An Illinois federal judge Friday held that Abbott Laboratories isn't liable for the death of a baby who consumed its Similac baby formula, entering judgment in favor of Abbott in a bellwether case in multidistrict litigation that was set to head to trial in a little over a week.

  • May 02, 2025

    Feds Expand Hunting, Fishing Access In 16 Wildlife Refuges

    The federal government is proposing to expand hunting and fishing access on more than 87,000 acres within the 11 states in national wildlife and fish hatchery systems, saying on Friday the move would more than triple the number of opportunities for outdoor recreation.

  • May 02, 2025

    Cannabis Drink Co. Accuses Stoel Rives Attorneys Of Fraud

    A startup that develops nonalcoholic cannabis beers has claimed in a California state court action that attorneys from Stoel Rives LLP and others conspired on a scheme to defraud the company out of millions by allegedly trying to sell an unlicensed marijuana business.

  • May 02, 2025

    3 Argument Sessions Benefits Attys Should Watch In May

    The Eleventh Circuit will hear arguments from former seafood company workers who say they were overcharged when they purchased their employer’s stock, while the Sixth Circuit tackles appeals from Kellogg and FedEx retirees who say they were shorted on benefits because of outdated mortality data. Here’s three arguments to keep an eye on in May.

  • May 02, 2025

    Trade Court Grants Disputed Fish Oil Duty-Free Treatment

    The U.S. Court of International Trade on Friday sided with chemical giant BASF in a customs classification case, agreeing that the government should have deemed the company's imports of fish oil as fish extracts, which are entitled to duty-free treatment.

  • May 02, 2025

    Conn. Burrito Joints Settle Trademark, Cash Raid Suit

    Two Connecticut restaurants with similar names, operated by onetime romantic partners, have settled a federal trademark and trade secrets suit accusing the allegedly infringing business of improperly using cash and ideas from the original.

  • May 01, 2025

    McDonald's Agrees To Drop Price-Fixing Suit Against Cargill

    McDonald's Corp. has agreed to drop its claims against Cargill Inc. in litigation accusing major meat processing and packing companies of conspiring to fix beef prices, according to a joint announcement made by the companies.

  • May 01, 2025

    PepsiCo Owes $2.1M In Tax Penalties, Illinois Panel Affirms

    PepsiCo was correctly assessed $2.1 million in penalties for categorizing Frito-Lay expatriates' compensation as foreign payroll that would allow the company's profits to be excluded from state income tax calculations, according to an Illinois Appellate Court panel.

  • May 01, 2025

    3rd Circ. Backs Charter School In Black Worker's Bias Suit

    The Third Circuit upheld the dismissal of a Black cafeteria manager's suit claiming she was fired for complaining that her bosses at a charter school system mistreated her due to her race, ruling the suit falls flat because she was employed by an outside food service company.

  • May 01, 2025

    Publix Can't Slip 'Zero-Market Share' Opioid Claims

    Publix Super Markets Inc. can't slip opioid-related claims from nine municipalities in which the supermarket chain alleges it has no pharmacies, an Ohio federal judge overseeing sprawling national opioid litigation ruled.

  • May 01, 2025

    Photo Agency, Country Club Settle Suit Over Prime Rib Picture

    A photo licensing company has settled its copyright lawsuit that alleged a Maryland golf and country club used a picture of a prime rib roast in its promotional materials without permission.

  • May 01, 2025

    Conagra Sued Over Orville Redenbacher 'Naturals' Popcorn

    Conagra Brands Inc. tries to profit off health-conscious consumers who prefer natural products by falsely labeling its Orville Redenbacher brand of "Naturals" popcorn as containing only real ingredients, despite containing a synthetic preservative, according to a proposed class action filed Thursday in New York federal court. 

Expert Analysis

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Metadata

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    Several recent rulings reflect the competing considerations that arise when parties dispute the form of production for electronically stored information, underscoring that counsel must carefully consider how to produce and request reasonably usable data, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • The 3rd-Party Bankruptcy Release Landscape After Purdue

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    In its Purdue Pharma ruling prohibiting nonconsensual third-party releases, the U.S. Supreme Court did not comment on criteria to render a third-party release consensual, opening a debate in the bankruptcy courts on the permissibility of opt-out versus opt-in releases, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Website Accessibility Ruling Leaves Circuit Split Unresolved

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    A New York federal court's recent decision in Mejia v. High Brew Coffee, holding that stand-alone websites are not "public accommodations" subject to the Americans with Disabilities Act, further complicates a long-running circuit split on this question — even as courts are burdened with thousands of similar lawsuits, say attorneys at Mandelbaum Barrett.

  • Striking A Balance Between AI Use And Attorney Well-Being

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    As the legal industry increasingly adopts generative artificial intelligence tools to boost efficiency, leaders must note the hidden costs of increased productivity, and work to protect attorneys’ well-being while unlocking AI’s full potential, says Ed Sohn at Factor.

  • Empathy In Mediation Offers A Soft Landing For Disputes

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    Experiencing a crash-landing on a recent flight underscored to me how much difference empathy makes in times of crisis or stress, including during mediation, says Eydith Kaufman at Alternative Resolution Centers.

  • Series

    Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

  • How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources

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    Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • NC Ruling Takes Practical Approach To Duty-To-Defend Costs

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    In Murphy-Brown v. Ace American Insurance, a case of first impression, the North Carolina Business Court adopted the commonsense rationale of many state courts in holding that policyholders' defense costs should be deemed presumtively reasonable when a insurer breaches its duty to defend, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

  • How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment

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    Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.

  • Where Can Privacy Plaintiffs Sue When Injury Is Online?

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    Website owners need to understand wiretapping laws to understand whether they may be sued for activity tracking in California or Pennsylvania courts, where the statutory damages for violations of half-century-old laws can be substantial — and a recent Third Circuit decision suggests establishing specific jurisdiction is not as easy as 1-2-3, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Bankruptcy Decision Exemplifies Venue Issue For Franchisees

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    A California bankruptcy court's decision earlier this month in Pinnacle Foods and a lingering circuit split on assumption of executory franchise contracts highlights the issue of whether franchisee debtors can qualify for case venue in friendlier circuits, says David Gamble at Parkins Rubio.

  • Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity

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    Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.

  • Trademark Food For Thought When Rebranding

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    Brand makeovers like the one underway by Campbell Soup Co. can have a significant effect on a company's intellectual property rights, particularly as it relates to their trademarks, but with thoughtful strategizing, companies can anticipate seamless rebrands and hopefully avoid becoming cautionary tales, says Annie Allison at Haynes Boone.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules

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    The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

  • Fluoride Ruling Charts Path To Bypass EPA Risk Evaluations

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    A California federal court's recent ruling in Food and Water Watch v. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ordering the agency to address the public health risks of fluoridated drinking water, establishes a road map for other citizen petitioners to bypass the EPA's formal risk evaluation process, say attorneys at Wiley.

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