Food & Beverage

  • April 22, 2024

    Calif. High Court Says Pretrial Inmates Can't Get Min. Wage

    The California Supreme Court on Monday ruled that pretrial detainees who work while in jail are not entitled to minimum wage and overtime claims under California's labor law, finding the state's penal code permitting such work covers nonconvicted individuals.

  • April 22, 2024

    Ill. Panel Relieves Insurer Of $8.3M Cracker Caper Judgment

    An insurer was relieved of covering a dispute between cracker manufacturers, an Illinois state appeals panel affirmed, finding allegations of equipment theft that led to an $8.3 million judgment against Distinctive Foods LLC constituted non-covered intentional interference with RyKrisp LLC.

  • April 22, 2024

    Conn. Judge Whittles $1.4M Malpractice Request To $165K

    A Connecticut state court judge has sliced a $1.4 million malpractice bid down to less than $165,000 in a dispute over an attorney's failure to properly secure a loan, citing the client's own negligence and its recovery of most of the money at issue from other sources.

  • April 22, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Last week, Delaware's Chancery Court news included a Tesla announcement about moving to Texas, a midcase appeal of Tripadvisor's move to Nevada, and United Airlines' escape from a stockholder suit. Disputes about board entrenchment, squeeze-out mergers, co-founder fallouts and deadly ice cream moved ahead.

  • April 22, 2024

    Justices Won't Hear Bakery's Arbitration Exemption Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to again examine a carveout to a federal arbitration law for interstate transportation workers, in a case involving baked goods delivery drivers, after already issuing a decision in a similar case.

  • April 22, 2024

    Justices Won't Weigh If Domino's Drivers Arbitration-Exempt

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday passed on reviewing whether Domino's Pizza truck drivers are interstate transportation workers who are exempt from federal arbitration requirements, declining to pave the way for a ruling that could have expanded or narrowed the arbitration carveout.

  • April 19, 2024

    A Cannabis Constitutional Fight, And The Calif. Atty Behind It

    Federal appellate courts are mulling multiple challenges to state and local cannabis licensure programs, all brought by one California-based attorney and each alleging that the dormant commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution must apply to federally illegal marijuana.

  • April 19, 2024

    Uber, Lyft Ask Justices To Review Calif. Arbitration 'Loophole'

    Uber Technologies and Lyft Inc. asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review a California appellate court's decision rejecting their efforts to force into arbitration coordinated litigation alleging they misclassified drivers as independent contractors, saying the Golden State is trying to "create a loophole" in the Federal Arbitration Act.

  • April 19, 2024

    Nestlé Strikes Deal Ending Gray-Market Drinks Trademark Row

    Nestlé USA Inc. and two food distributors have asked a Texas federal judge to permanently dismiss their trademark infringement fight accusing the distributors of illegally selling so-called gray-market versions of Nescafe Clasico and Abuelita products, saying parties recently reached a settlement agreement.

  • April 19, 2024

    Colo. Won't 'Defer' To Feds In Kroger-Albertsons Merger Suit

    Colorado's attorney general has defended his decision to file a case seeking to block a $24.6 billion merger between the supermarket chains Kroger and Albertsons, telling a state court judge that nothing requires him to "defer to federal enforcers."

  • April 19, 2024

    Up Next At High Court: Abortions & Presidential Immunity

    The U.S. Supreme Court will return Monday for the term's final week of oral arguments, during which it will consider several high-stakes disputes, including whether a federal healthcare law can preempt state abortion bans and whether former President Donald Trump is entitled to immunity from criminal charges related to official acts.

  • April 19, 2024

    Members Say UFCW Delegate System Violates Federal Law

    The United Food and Commercial Workers constitution's method for selecting delegates to its national convention unlawfully dilutes the voting power of members of larger locals while also limiting options for those belonging to smaller locals, members claim in a federal lawsuit filed Friday.

  • April 19, 2024

    Tex-Mex Chain Tijuana Flats' New Owner Puts It In Ch. 11

    Fast-casual Tex-Mex dining chain Tijuana Flats said Friday it has changed ownership and filed for Chapter 11 protection in Florida bankruptcy court with more than $10 million in debt.

  • April 19, 2024

    Pennsylvania Chocolate Factory Sued Over Fatal Explosion

    The estate representing another victim of a 2023 fatal explosion at a Pennsylvania R.M. Palmer chocolate factory has filed suit in state court, claiming the candy company, the gas company and the maker of the plastic gas line all contributed to the catastrophe.

  • April 18, 2024

    Chancery OKs Case Lead For Blue Bell Creameries Suit

    A Delaware vice chancellor on Thursday restored a Blue Bell Creameries Inc. stockholder's widow as lead plaintiff in a derivative suit seeking to hold directors and officers of the ice cream company accountable for deadly food-safety oversight failures in 2015.

  • April 18, 2024

    Mich. High Court Takes Up Insurer Garnishment Dispute

    The Michigan Supreme Court agreed Thursday to consider whether an insurer's supposed bad faith refusal to settle a claim can be litigated in a garnishment action in The Burlington Insurance Co.'s appeal of an injured worker's attempt to collect the unsatisfied portion of a $13.7 million judgment.

  • April 18, 2024

    Qdoba To Pay $3.8M To Wrap Up Wash. Pay Transparency Suit

    Mexican restaurant chain Qdoba will pay $3.8 million to resolve a class action alleging it violated Washington state's pay transparency law when it failed to disclose pay information in job postings, according to a filing in state court.

  • April 18, 2024

    Coffee Bean Hit With ADA Suit Over Costly Milk Alternatives

    The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf customers hit the coffee chain with a proposed class action Wednesday in California federal court, alleging it discriminates against people with lactose intolerance by requiring consumers to pay a surcharge for dairy-free alternatives.

  • April 18, 2024

    Commerce Chided For Not Explaining Itself In Catfish Cases

    The U.S. Court of International Trade has kicked the final decision in a 2019 review of catfish duties back to the U.S. Department of Commerce, saying the agency flubbed basic administrative law by failing to "show its work" amid crisscrossing claims.

  • April 18, 2024

    3rd Circ. Unclear If 'Session Replay' Web Code Directed At Pa.

    A Third Circuit panel seemed torn Thursday over whether websites like those of Papa John's or Mattress Firm "directed conduct" at Pennsylvania when they ran "session replay" software to track users' visits and whether that gave courts in the Keystone State jurisdiction over users' claims that such tracking violated laws against wiretapping.

  • April 18, 2024

    Mich. Supreme Court To Hear Jet's Pizza Settlement Appeal

    A woman arguing that her settlement with a Jet's Pizza delivery driver should not have snuffed out her vicarious-liability claim against the driver's employer will get a hearing before Michigan's highest court.

  • April 18, 2024

    $550K Fingerprint BIPA Deal Receives Ill. Judge's Initial OK

    An Illinois federal judge gave his early blessing Wednesday to a nearly $550,000 settlement between global food supplier Rich Products Corp. and hundreds of current and former employees who claimed the company illegally collected and used their scanned fingerprint data.

  • April 18, 2024

    Sugar Co. Urges 11th Circ. To Revive Helms-Burton Suit

    North American Sugar Industries Inc. asked the Eleventh Circuit Thursday to revive its suit accusing several companies that shipped wind turbines to Cuba of violating the Helms-Burton Act, saying the trial court erred in tossing its claims for lack of jurisdiction.

  • April 18, 2024

    Trade Court Says Gov't Must Redo Mexican Tomato Probe

    The U.S. Court of International Trade ordered the U.S. Department of Commerce to redo a decades-old investigation into Mexican tomatoes, saying officials couldn't update the probe with new information when they were called to resume the long-delayed review.

  • April 18, 2024

    FDA Head Gets GOP Rep.'s Rebuke Over Pot Rescheduling

    The Republican chair of a U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations subcommittee on Thursday chided the commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the agency's recommendation last year to loosen restrictions on marijuana.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • How Consumer Complaints Can Help Companies

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    As seen most recently in Zoom's terms of service controversy, consumer complaints — despite initially seeming troubling for companies — can offer businesses the opportunity to identify, tackle and resolve budding challenges before those challenges escalate into larger issues, say Meghan Stoppel and Hannah Cornett at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Opinion

    Life Sciences Regulators Must Write Cloud-Specific Guidance

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    As cloud services continue to revolutionize the life sciences industry's ability to conduct regulated activities, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulators should update their data management policies to clearly support and encourage use of cloud technology, say Nate Brown and Marlee Gallant at Akin.

  • Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence

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    Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

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