Food & Beverage

  • August 07, 2025

    NC Biz Court Bulletin: Divorce Dust-Ups And Judicial Rebukes

    Litigation in the North Carolina Business Court is heating up this summer with new complaints centered on fears a former state politician's divorce proceedings will impede his companies' operations and accusations that a climate technology company has failed to pay out a former engineer's ownership interest.

  • August 06, 2025

    Baker Botts Atty Seeks To Trim Patent Exec's Defamation Suit

    A Baker Botts LLP intellectual property litigator has urged a Florida federal judge to trim a patent licensing company executive's lawsuit alleging she made defamatory statements about him in news articles, saying some of the claims come too late, and others don't have a basis in facts.

  • August 06, 2025

    Colo. Judge Tosses Kroger Chain's Claims Against Union

    A Colorado federal judge threw out a suit by a Kroger-owned grocery chain against a United Food and Commercial Workers local on Wednesday, finding the company didn't plausibly allege the union committed coercion when it called a strike.

  • August 06, 2025

    Calif. Water Toxicity Test Flouts Federal Law, Court Rules

    A California state appeals court has barred state regulators from requiring wastewater entities to use a new water pollution test for discharge permits, but said the Golden State's adoption of new toxicity provisions was proper under state law.

  • August 06, 2025

    Calif. Cow-Treatment Suit Covered By Ill. Deal, Farm Co. Says

    A Fairlife milk supplier that participated in a $21 million settlement of cow-mistreatment false advertising claims asked the Chicago federal judge overseeing that multidistrict litigation to halt a similar lawsuit in California, saying the Chicago deal already outlines a process for addressing the Golden State case's claims.

  • August 06, 2025

    Battle Lines Form Around Interior's Updated NEPA Rule

    The U.S. Department of the Interior is facing stiff resistance from green groups and blue states that oppose its new environmental review process for infrastructure projects, but some industry groups said the agency has taken the right approach.

  • August 06, 2025

    Judge Questions USDA's Climate Grant Cuts

    A D.C. federal judge grilled an attorney for the federal government over why the U.S. Department of Agriculture's climate-focused grants for farmers and food nonprofits were rescinded en masse when they seemingly aligned with the program, but also told recipients that she won't be "rearranging" the agency's priorities.

  • August 06, 2025

    Anheuser-Busch, Hard Seltzer Co. End $90M Contract Feud

    Anheuser-Busch and alcoholic seltzer producer Boathouse Beverages LLC's holding company have dropped claims against one another in a multimillion-dollar Connecticut contract dispute over a product line the beverage giant purchased in 2016.

  • August 06, 2025

    Steakhouse Can't Shake Certified Class In Conn. Wage Suit

    A class of tipped servers accusing a steakhouse at the Foxwoods Resort Casino of unpaid wages will stay in place, a Connecticut state judge ruled, saying that the employer overplayed a court's earlier decision finding that the workers didn't perform nonservice tasks.

  • August 06, 2025

    Honey Dew Says M&A Adviser Missed Fake $25M Letter

    Massachusetts-based regional coffee and donut chain Honey Dew says the investment banking firm it hired to find a buyer in 2018 would have learned that a $25 million "proof of funds" letter purporting to be from UBS was a forgery had it performed the expected due diligence.

  • August 05, 2025

    Fat Brands Shareholder Disputes Settle With $10M Payout

    Fat Brands Inc.'s chairman and some of the restaurant franchising company's former directors announced Tuesday they agreed to settle a pair of shareholder derivative lawsuits pending in Delaware's Chancery Court that alleged breaches of fiduciary duties concerning a 2020 merger and a 2021 recapitalization.

  • August 05, 2025

    Grocery Chain Ralphs Wins $7M Employment Bias Trial

    A California jury cleared Kroger-owned Ralphs Grocery Co. of liability in a Muslim worker's $7 million bias suit after hearing that the worker simply refused to use the scheduling software to keep his Saturdays free for religious activities and that he had been suspended multiple times for insubordination.

  • August 05, 2025

    Walmart's $2.6M Fall Injury Verdict Not Excessive, Court Affirms

    A California appeals court has affirmed a $2.6 million award in a suit accusing Walmart of causing a customer's devastating hamstring injury in a fall, saying the verdict was not excessive given the evidence.

  • August 05, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Presses Brita On Bid To Revive Water Filter Patent

    A Federal Circuit panel Tuesday questioned Brita LP's effort to reverse a U.S. International Trade Commission decision that a water filter patent is invalid, suggesting the patent describes little more than an unpredictable scientific formula.

  • August 05, 2025

    Food Co. Can't Exit Suit By Vendor Worker With Severe Burns

    A South Carolina federal judge refused Tuesday to toss a suit seeking to hold Sauer Brands liable for severe chemical burns suffered by an EcoLab worker who was servicing machinery at a food plant, saying workers' compensation immunity doesn't apply.

  • August 05, 2025

    Ga. Poultry Co. Says Insurer Must Cover Data Breach Suits

    A poultry producer said it is entitled to coverage for underlying class actions stemming from a data breach that compromised its employees' personal information, telling a Georgia federal court that its insurer has wrongfully denied coverage based on what the insurer alleges was inadequate notice.

  • August 05, 2025

    Advocacy Org. Wants FTC's Full, Dropped Pepsi Complaint

    The Federal Trade Commission's price discrimination complaint against Pepsi could become public after all, despite the agency dropping the lawsuit, after a New York federal judge on Tuesday permitted an advocacy group to intervene in the case in order to seek the full, unredacted filing.

  • August 05, 2025

    Boston Firm Adds Former Panera, Dunkin' Brands Counsel

    Boston-based Rubin and Rudman LLP hired the former legal counsel of Panera Bread Co. and Dunkin' Brands for an "of counsel" role on the firm's real estate team, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • August 05, 2025

    Meet FDA Chief Counsel Sean Keveney

    The new top attorney at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, described as a "tremendous technical lawyer," rose through the ranks as a federal prosecutor before helping lead President Donald Trump's confrontation with elite universities this year.

  • August 05, 2025

    Gas Breaks Can't Justify Russian Fertilizer Duties, Fed. Circ. Told

    The federal government improperly concluded that EuroChem's Russian imports to the U.S. were subject to countervailing duties because of natural gas subsidies those products benefited from, counsel representing the company told the Federal Circuit during oral arguments Tuesday.

  • August 05, 2025

    Charlotte Bar Shares Blame For Fatal Shooting, NC Panel Told

    The estate of a shooting victim has doubled down on its efforts in a North Carolina appellate court to revive wrongful death claims against a bar accused of overserving the shooter, arguing the lower court ruled on foreseeability too early in the case.

  • August 05, 2025

    CMA Launches In-Depth Probe Of Catering Services Merger

    United Kingdom antitrust enforcers are officially launching an in-depth review of Aramark Group's acquisition of Scottish catering company Entier Ltd., saying Tuesday that Aramark declined to volunteer any remedies that would assuage competition concerns during the government's initial review phase.

  • August 04, 2025

    Sandwich Seller Owes $32K For Breaching Noncompete Pact

    A Pennsylvania federal judge on Monday found in favor of the owners of a sandwich fundraising and catering company who accused its former owner of breaching multiple noncompete and confidentiality agreements by launching a rival business and stealing recipes and customer information.

  • August 04, 2025

    California Egg Farmers Join Defense Of Animal Welfare Laws

    The Association of California Egg Farmers and several animal rights groups seek to join the Golden State's defense of animal welfare laws being challenged by the federal government.

  • August 04, 2025

    Consumers Want Fees Of $49M From $203M In Chicken Deals

    Broiler chicken consumers asked an Illinois federal judge on Monday for about $49 million in attorney fees from two rounds of price-fixing deals they've struck with major producers, matching the settlement percentage to which a Seventh Circuit panel last month found class counsel was entitled.

Expert Analysis

  • How Attys Can Use AI To Surface Narratives In E-Discovery

    Author Photo

    E-discovery has reached a turning point where document review is no longer just about procedural tasks like identifying relevance and redacting privilege — rather, generative artificial intelligence tools now allow attorneys to draw connections, extract meaning and tell a coherent story, says Rose Jones at Hilgers Graben.

  • Series

    Playing The Violin Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Playing violin in a string quartet reminds me that flexibility, ambition, strong listening skills, thoughtful leadership and intentional collaboration are all keys to a successful legal practice, says Julie Park at MoFo.

  • DOJ Enforcement Trends To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2025

    Author Photo

    Recent investigations, settlements and a declination to prosecute suggest that controlling the flow of goods into and out of the country, and redressing what the administration sees as reverse discrimination, are likely to be at the forefront of the U.S. Department of Justice's enforcement agenda the rest of this year, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • Federal Regs Order May Spell Harsher FDCA Enforcement

    Author Photo

    A recent executive order aimed at reducing criminal prosecutions of those who unknowingly violate complex federal regulations may actually lead to more aggressive felony indictments under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, but companies and executives can mitigate risks by following several key principals, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Self-Care

    Author Photo

    Law schools don’t teach the mental, physical and emotional health maintenance tools necessary to deal with the profession's many demands, but practicing self-care is an important key to success that can help to improve focus, manage stress and reduce burnout, says Rachel Leonard​​​​​​​ at MG+M.

  • ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'

    Author Photo

    The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Latest Influencer Marketing Class Actions Pinpoint 5 Themes

    Author Photo

    Several recent deceptive marketing class actions against both brands and influencers attempt to transform arguably routine business practices into a new focus area for consumer complaints, suggesting a coordinated approach to test what could become an increasingly popular area of litigation, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • How Trump's Trade Policies Are Shaping Foreign Investment

    Author Photo

    Five months into the Trump administration, investors are beginning to see the concrete effects of the president’s America First Investment Policy as it presents new opportunities for clearing transactions more quickly, while sustaining risk aversion related to Chinese trade and potentially creating different political risks, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

  • 4 Consumer Class Action Trends To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2025

    Author Photo

    The first half of 2025 has seen a surge of consumer class action trends related to online tools, websites and marketing messages, creating a new legal risk landscape for companies of all sizes, says Scott Shaffer at Olshan Frome.

  • 8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

    Author Photo

    Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients

    Author Photo

    Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.

  • One Year On, Davidson Holds Lessons On 'Health Halo' Claims

    Author Photo

    A year after the Ninth Circuit's Davidson v. Sprout Foods decision — which raised the bar for so-called health halo claims — food and beverage companies can draw insights from its finding, subsequently expanded on by other courts, that plaintiffs must be specific when alleging fraud in healthfulness marketing, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Bill Leaves Renewable Cos. In Dark On Farmland Reporting

    Author Photo

    A U.S. Senate bill to update disclosure requirements for foreign control of U.S. farmland does not provide much-needed guidance on how to report renewable energy development on agricultural property, leaving significant compliance risks for project developers, say attorneys at Hodgson Russ.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm

    Author Photo

    My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Food & Beverage archive.