Food & Beverage

  • July 10, 2026

    The Biggest TM Rulings Of 2026: A Midyear Report

    The Seventh Circuit placed limits on trademark plaintiffs in cases against foreign online sellers accused of counterfeiting, and the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board issued precedential decisions with fresh guidance on what marks can get on — or stay on — the federal trademark register. Here is Law360's list of the biggest trademark rulings so far this year.

  • July 10, 2026

    Iran War Has 'Severely Disrupted' Fertilizer Trade, WTO Says

    The war in Iran has "severely disrupted" trade in fertilizers like urea and phosphate, raising concerns that agricultural yields could fall and food prices could rise, the World Trade Organization said Friday.

  • July 10, 2026

    'Disloyal' CEO Must Pay Co.'s $816K Fox Rothschild Fees

    Oamic Ingredients LLC has won an order forcing its "disloyal" former CEO to pay the Wyoming-based flavoring and aroma firm's Fox Rothschild LLP lawyers nearly $816,000 in fees and costs, with a Connecticut judge chiding the ex-CEO and attorney's poor knowledge of state laws and court rules.

  • July 10, 2026

    US-Canada Stalemate Expected To Hold Amid USMCA Review

    The trade stalemate between the U.S. and Canada is likely to continue through a drawn-out review process for the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, though companies will benefit from an underlying level of stability as the deal remains in effect, trade lawyers said.

  • July 09, 2026

    VSL Reaches $20M Deal Resolving Knockoff Probiotic Claims

    VSL Pharmaceuticals Inc., Sigma-Tau Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Alfasigma USA Inc. have reached a $20 million settlement with customers who bought a knockoff version of a proprietary probiotic formula for gastrointestinal ailments, according to an order preliminarily approving the deal.

  • July 09, 2026

    Fed. Circ. Doubts $9M Atty Fees Without Dismissal Attempt

    A Federal Circuit panel didn't seem swayed Thursday that ChromaDex's patent infringement suit against Elysium Health had any merit, but the judges struggled to understand why Elysium never tried to dismiss a case it believed was so weak.

  • July 09, 2026

    FTC Can't Get Trial Scheduled Against Syngenta & Corteva

    A North Carolina federal judge refused Thursday to tee up trial in the Federal Trade Commission case accusing Syngenta and Corteva of using loyalty rebate schemes to block competition from rival generic pesticides, preferring to wait until he's heard, and likely ruled on, company motions to nix the allegations.

  • July 09, 2026

    Fla. Justices Back Toss Of Sham Publix Slip-And-Fall Suit

    The Florida Supreme Court on Thursday backed the dismissal of a woman's slip-and-fall complaint against Publix Supermarkets Inc., rejecting an appellate panel's use of a more stringent standard to determine if discretion was abused when tossing the lawsuit due to fraud on the court. 

  • July 09, 2026

    Driscoll's Greenwashes PFAS-Laden Strawberries, Suit Says

    Produce giant Driscoll's runs a "greenwashing" advertising campaign for its strawberries by touting that they are "safe," "wholesome" and "sustainably sourced," while failing to disclose the presence of forever chemicals that are harmful to human health, according to a proposed class action removed to California federal court Wednesday.

  • July 09, 2026

    Workers Settle Forced Labor Suit With Farm Cos.

    Two men with temporary agricultural work visas said Thursday they have settled their forced labor lawsuit against blueberry farm entities in Michigan federal court, after alleging that they were trafficked to Michigan and subjected to "brutal" work conditions. 

  • July 09, 2026

    Nutmobile Builder Says Ex-Workers Used Assets For Rival Co.

    A small Massachusetts company that built the Planters Nutmobile, the L.L. Bean Bootmobile and other novelty promotional vehicles says a group of former employees intentionally drove it into the ground while secretly using its funds and trade secrets to start a competing business.

  • July 09, 2026

    Mass. Voters To Decide Future Of Retail Cannabis Legalization

    Massachusetts voters will decide in November whether to repeal the legalization of retail cannabis in the Bay State after state officials confirmed Thursday that the campaign secured the necessary number of additional signatures to get on the ballot.

  • July 09, 2026

    Paper Plates Skirt Steep Chinese Duties, Commerce Finds

    Paper plates imported from Malaysia and Cambodia have been found to circumvent countervailing and antidumping duty orders on those products from China, according to notices published Thursday by the U.S. Department of Commerce.

  • July 09, 2026

    WTO, IMF, World Bank, IEA Cite Uneven Iran War Toll

    The ongoing war in Iran sharply raised energy and fertilizer prices when it began, and although those prices have dropped, the conflict continues to fuel significant trade volatility, according to a joint statement issued by the leaders of four global economic rule-setting bodies.

  • July 08, 2026

    9th Circ. Revives Whirlpool Dishwasher Warranty Class Action

    The Ninth Circuit has revived a Washington retiree's lawsuit accusing Whirlpool Corp. and an insurer of deceptively marketing a service plan as providing repairs or replacements for her dishwasher when the fine print allowed them to instead buy the appliance at a depreciated price, leaving her without enough money to replace it.

  • July 08, 2026

    Snack Cos. Say DOJ Deal Demands Price-Fix Verdict Revisit

    Kraft, Kellogg, Nestle and General Mills want an Illinois federal judge to schedule a status conference "imminently" in their long-running antitrust suit to ask Cal-Maine Foods Inc. about a deal it recently reached with the government over claims it inflated the price of eggs and how it affects their $53 million jury verdict.

  • July 08, 2026

    Butterball, 2 More Head For Ill. Turkey Price-Fix Trials

    An Illinois federal judge handling consolidated turkey price-fixing litigation has teed up two trials against Butterball and two other major producers as he works through a pile of summary judgment challenges from defendants looking to avoid jury trials.

  • July 08, 2026

    Costco Sued Over Reports Of Heavy Metals In Protein Powder

    Costco was hit with a proposed class action in Washington federal court Tuesday alleging the wholesale retailer knew the Orgain protein powders it sold at its warehouses and online risked containing dangerous levels of toxic heavy metals, but marketed them as providing "good, clean nutrition" and having "quality ingredients."

  • July 08, 2026

    Formula-Maker Sued After Recall And Reports Of Sick Infants

    Infant formula manufacturer Nara Organics Inc. sold milk-based powder that had to be recalled after federal regulators learned that multiple infants who had consumed the product were hospitalized with life-threatening botulism, according to a proposed class action filed Wednesday in New York federal court.

  • July 08, 2026

    NY Fights H-2A Farmworker's Bid To Block Union Contract

    The state of New York has asked a federal judge to reject a farmworker's bid to block the state from imposing a union contract on him and his co-workers, arguing the farmworker failed to show he will face irreparable harm without an injunction.

  • July 08, 2026

    FTC, States Settle John Deere Right-To-Repair Case

    The Federal Trade Commission and state enforcers reached a deal Wednesday to settle an antitrust case accusing John Deere of restricting equipment repairs, after the company agreed to give farmers and independent technicians the resources it provides to authorized dealers.

  • July 08, 2026

    EU Parliament Approves Mexico Trade Agreement

    The European Parliament approved two pieces of legislation to implement the modernized trade agreement between the bloc and Mexico on Wednesday.

  • July 08, 2026

    EU Duty On Indonesian Fatty Acids Too High, WTO Says

    The European Union's anti-dumping margin on fatty acids imported from Indonesia exceeds the margin that should have been set under World Trade Organization standards, a WTO panel said Wednesday while rejecting other concerns raised by Indonesia.

  • July 08, 2026

    McDonald's Ends Suit Alleging Rampant Sex Harassment

    McDonald's has struck a deal with two workers to end their proposed class action claiming the fast food giant allowed sexual harassment to go unchecked in its restaurants, prompting an Illinois federal judge to formally shutter the case.

  • July 07, 2026

    Illinois Cases To Watch In 2026: Midyear Report

    Mead Johnson is set to go to trial this summer in the first case to make it to a jury in multidistrict litigation claiming baby formula caused a serious gut illness in premature infants, while the U.S. attorney's office in Chicago is facing a possible sanctions hearing over prosecutorial misconduct allegations in two Illinois cases on attorneys' radar for the rest of the year.

Expert Analysis

  • How Cos. Can Prep For Ultra-Processed Food Legal Risks

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    A wave of litigation and government scrutiny directed against ultra-processed foods is now gaining momentum, following patterns seen previously in other industries — and food companies that recognize those patterns early will be better positioned to manage the increasing risks, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Series

    Bass Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Landing a trophy striped bass and closing a big deal both require cultivating the patience to finesse — not force — your way to desired outcomes, changing course when your old approach isn’t working and learning from the ones that got away, says Jon Ruiss at Alston & Bird.

  • Roundup

    The Most Talked-About Supreme Court Decisions Of 2026

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    This term, 11 U.S. Supreme Court decisions quickly became hot topics among Law360's guest writers.

  • What Ex-CFPB Head's Calif. Role May Foretell For Oversight

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    California Gov. Gavin Newsom's selection of former Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Rohit Chopra to lead a new consumer agency signals tougher state financial services oversight, especially for fintechs, as well as heightened enforcement activity and larger penalties, say attorneys at WilmerHale.

  • Immigration Ruling Maps Alternative To Universal Injunctions

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    A Rhode Island federal court's decision in Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island v. USCIS vacating policies that froze key immigration adjudications for nationals of 39 countries, and paused asylum applications altogether, suggests how practitioners might press for the Administrative Procedure Act's bad faith exception to record review and seek vacatur as a viable alternative to universal injunctions, says Kemal Hepsen at Mandamus Lawyers.

  • Lessons From EEOC Suit Over Coca-Cola Women-Only Event

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    The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission's recent lawsuit alleging that Coca-Cola Northeast violated federal law by having a professional development retreat for female employees demonstrates that the EEOC is scrutinizing DEI-related practices with unprecedented intensity, so even the most well-intentioned programs may be challenged, say attorneys at Venable.

  • High Court's FCC Fine Ruling Reframes Agency Enforcement

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Federal Communications Commission v. AT&T sweeps aside uncertainty about what kinds of regulatory enforcement trigger a Seventh Amendment right, say attorneys at Squire Patton.

  • After Durnell, Connecting Science And Causation Will Be Key

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's June 25 decision in Monsanto v. Durnell narrowed label-based failure-to-warn claims — meaning that going forward, viable theories will depend even more on whether experts can reliably connect scientific evidence to the causal proposition the law requires, says Alex Smolak at Weill Cornell Medicine-Qatar.

  • Series

    Choral Singing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Singing in the New York City Bar Chorus — a hobby partly inspired by the late U.S. District Judge Richard Owen, who infused my clerkship year with opera music — has improved my legal career by refining my abilities to listen, exude confidence and develop emotional intelligence, says Bonnie Baker at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Attorney Mental Health Is An Ethical Obligation In The AI Era

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    As attorneys cope with the increasing unpredictability that artificial intelligence and constant policy changes have created, particularly in practice areas where they carry the emotional weight of clients’ most consequential life events, otherwise soft discussions about self-care are a matter of professional competence, says attorney Jack Jrada.

  • Series

    Power To The Paralegals: Burnout As A Structural Problem

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    Law firm leadership can best retain their paralegals not by encouraging self-care, but by seeking top-down structural solutions for the quiet proliferation of responsibilities and the vicarious exposure to client trauma that particularly drive burnout in this vital role, says Erika Sneeringer at Brockstedt Mandalas.

  • Fed. Circ. In May: Being Precise About 'About'

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    The Federal Circuit's decision in Enviro Tech v. Safe Foods last month illustrates the danger in attempting to expand claim scope with words of approximation, potentially causing claims to be invalid for lack of definiteness, say attorneys at Knobbe Martens.

  • Ill. Law Firm MSO Bill Clashes With Court Power, Ethics Rules

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    An Illinois bill prohibiting law firms from certain business arrangements with management service organizations, sent to the governor for signature last week, encroaches upon the courts' constitutional powers and goes beyond the Illinois Rules of Professional Conduct in regulating investment in law-related services, says Matthew O’Hara at Smith Gambrell.

  • Opinion

    State Courts Must Be Gatekeepers Of Expert Testimony

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    Based on my experience in the state judiciary, emulating federal courts' role as gatekeepers of expert witness testimony would help state court judges maintain the appearance of impartiality and assist juries, thus enhancing the overall confidence people have in their justice system, says Lorie Gildea at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Series

    Moshing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Entering a mosh pit is much like entering the practice of law — it is difficult, you have to know both the written and unwritten rules, and conduct yourself according to the expectations of each community, says Christopher Deubert at Constangy Brooks.

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