Food & Beverage

  • April 05, 2024

    Beverage Giant Sued Under Illinois Genetic Privacy Law

    Reyes Holdings, the largest beer distributor in the United States, has been sued in Illinois state court by a proposed class of job applicants who claim their genetic privacy rights were violated when they were required to submit to physical exams and inquiries about their family medical history as a condition of employment at the beverage distributor or its subsidiaries.

  • April 05, 2024

    Food Co. Shells Out $1.5M To End 401(k) Mismanagement Suit

    A California food manufacturer will pay $1.5 million to end a proposed class action alleging it loaded a $323 million employee 401(k) plan with excessive fees and costly, underperforming investment options, according to settlement details unveiled in federal court Friday.

  • April 05, 2024

    Off The Bench: ACC Drama, Football Firing Suits Intensify

    In this week's Off The Bench, Florida State University cannot escape an ACC lawsuit that may enforce a nine-figure penalty against the school if it should leave the conference, while both Northwestern University and the Arizona Cardinals face more legal headaches over their decisions to fire key personnel.

  • April 04, 2024

    Fla. Judge Won't Dismiss Suit Claiming Restaurant EB-5 Fraud

    A Florida state judge on Thursday declined to dismiss a lawsuit accusing a Miami restaurant group of mismanaging immigrant investors' funds, finding that the investors had successfully alleged fraud against the former manager of the investment company.

  • April 04, 2024

    Arby's, Sonic, Dunkin Settle Mystery Shopper IP Claims

    A Texas federal judge has stayed all deadlines in Fall Line Patents LLC's suit that accuses Arby's Restaurant Group Inc., Sonic Franchising LLC and Dunkin Brands Inc. of infringing its mystery shopper patent with their respective mobile applications, after the parties filed a joint bid saying they have settled their claims in principle.

  • April 04, 2024

    Domino's Franchise Shorted Mileage, Pa. Delivery Driver Says

    The owners of a group of Domino's Pizza franchises have been hit with a putative collective action in Pennsylvania federal court from an ex-delivery driver claiming drivers at their stores are paid less than minimum wage because of their "flawed" policy of reimbursing mileage expenses.

  • April 04, 2024

    8 Bronx Men Charged In Brazen 'Wild West' Beer Train Heists

    Eight men are charged with looting thousands of dollars' worth of beer from railyards and distribution sites throughout the Northeast in what prosecutors described as a "Wild West"-like crime spree over a two-year period in which the suspected ringleader is believed to have scouted members on Instagram touting promises of making "100k+ in a month."

  • April 04, 2024

    Judge Axes Experts In Chiquita MDL, With More On The Way

    A Florida federal judge presiding over a long-running multidistrict litigation against Chiquita Brands rejected expert witnesses offered by both Chiquita and plaintiffs who accuse the banana grower of financially supporting a defunct Colombian paramilitary group that allegedly killed their relatives.

  • April 04, 2024

    Wash. AG Defends Authority To Block Kroger-Albertsons Deal

    The Washington Attorney General's Office has told a state court that a local consumer protection law allows it to bring actions challenging anti-competitive mergers and urged the court to reject contentions from Kroger and Albertsons that the state lacks authority to block a nationwide deal.

  • April 04, 2024

    Great Lakes Fishing Pact Tramples Treaty Rights, Tribe Says

    The Sault Ste. Marie Tribe of Chippewa Indians is asking the Sixth Circuit to undo a Great Lakes fishing decree between it and four other tribes and the state of Michigan, arguing the decree was entered without its consent and imposes upon its treaty rights.

  • April 03, 2024

    China, Australia Make Deal To End Wine Duty Spat

    Australia has dropped its World Trade Organization case against China after Beijing agreed to end hefty tariffs on wine imports from Down Under, a notice circulated to the WTO's Dispute Settlement Body confirmed Wednesday.

  • April 03, 2024

    Insurer Says Rail Co. Must Pay In $400K Spoiled Chicken Suit

    Over $400,000 worth of frozen chicken thighs rotted on the move to Oregon, and an insurer who covered the putrid loss told a South Carolina federal court that the rail company responsible should pay for the screw-up.

  • April 03, 2024

    Anheuser-Busch 'Choking Off' Beer Supply, Distributor Says

    A New York beer distributor accused Anheuser-Busch InBev of slowly cutting off its supply using force that could only be exerted by such a "corporate behemoth," according to a suit filed in Manhattan federal court.

  • April 03, 2024

    Beekeeper Groups Seek Fees From EPA After 9th Circ. Appeal

    Attorneys for beekeeper groups in an appeal over a U.S. Environmental Protection Agency decision on insecticides have asked the Ninth Circuit to award nearly $750,000 in legal fees after a ruling that hammered the EPA but left the agency's decision intact.

  • April 03, 2024

    Chiquita Says $6.9M Win Being Held Up By Banana Exporter

    Chiquita Brands told a Florida federal court that an Ecuadorian banana exporter deserves to be fined for skirting court orders requiring the exporter to hand over financial information needed to execute a $6.9 million international arbitral award to Chiquita.

  • April 03, 2024

    1-800-Flowers Seeks $4.3M In Fees After Rival's IP Suit Failed

    After dispatching a trademark infringement lawsuit from Edible Arrangements last month, rival retailer 1-800-Flowers.com told a Georgia federal judge on Tuesday it should be entitled to up to $4.3 million attorney fees for being forced to defend against the "anemic" and "oppressive" litigation.

  • April 03, 2024

    Blue Bell Creameries Panel Seeks Del. Derivative Suit Revival

    Citing a failure to reach a mediated settlement, a Blue Bell Creameries Inc. board panel has moved to reactivate a long-sidelined Delaware Court of Chancery derivative suit seeking to hold the ice cream company's past directors and officers accountable for deadly food-safety oversight failures in 2015.

  • April 02, 2024

    Amazon Driver Took, Shared Pics of Actor's Home, Suit Says

    Actor Deon Cole sued Amazon in California state court alleging that one of its delivery drivers took photos of the inside of his home and shared them in a group chat while dropping off groceries, saying Amazon negligently and recklessly hired the driver.

  • April 02, 2024

    Black Farmers Say USDA Biased Against Minority Borrowers

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture has continued its practice of discriminating against farmers of color by disproportionately denying or slow-walking loans and imposing unfair terms based on applicants' race, according to a proposed class action filed in Washington, D.C., federal court.

  • April 02, 2024

    2 More Poultry Cos. Settle Wage-Fixing Suit

    Poultry processing workers sought preliminary approval Monday for deals with Case Foods Inc. and Mountaire Farms totaling $22 million that would make the companies the 10th and 11th wage-fixing defendants to settle out of a broader Maryland federal court case where total payouts reach $217.25 million.

  • April 02, 2024

    Food Co. Gets New Shot At H-2B Hires For Cinco De Mayo

    A U.S. Department of Labor appeals board revived a food producer's bid to hire 55 foreign workers to help out with increased demand during Cinco de Mayo celebrations, saying the company clearly showed there's a production uptick during the spring through the summer.

  • April 02, 2024

    CBP To Crack Down On 'Vague' Cargo Descriptions

    Importers will have a harder time bringing in shipments that aren't descriptive enough for border officials to identify following an announcement from U.S. Customs and Border Protection that the agency will issue messages advising of noncompliance.

  • April 02, 2024

    7th Circ. Won't Revive Parents' Claims in Abbott Formula Row

    The Seventh Circuit upheld on Tuesday the dismissal of parents' claims they were economically harmed from buying infant formula that could have been contaminated with bacteria at an Abbott Laboratories plant, saying their alleged injuries aren't enough to prove standing. 

  • April 02, 2024

    Enviro Org. Says Feds Failed To Act On Protections For Bees

    Conservationists are asking an Arizona federal judge to order the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to decide whether four bee species — including the iconic American bumblebee — should be protected under the Endangered Species Act.

  • April 01, 2024

    Fla. Judge Refuses To Pause Wage Rule For H-2A Workers

    A Florida federal judge on Friday adopted a magistrate judge's recommendation to uphold a U.S. Department of Labor rule raising the wages of H-2A agricultural workers, rejecting objections from farm groups that the report was overly deferential to the government's arguments.

Expert Analysis

  • Industry Must Elevate Native American Women Attys' Stories

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    The American Bar Association's recent research study into Native American women attorneys' experiences in the legal industry reveals the glacial pace of progress, and should inform efforts to amplify Native voices in the field, says Mary Smith, president of the ABA.

  • Understanding Discovery Obligations In Era Of Generative AI

    Excerpt from Practical Guidance
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    Attorneys and businesses must adapt to the unique discovery challenges presented by generative artificial intelligence, such as chatbot content and prompts, while upholding the principles of fairness, transparency and compliance with legal obligations in federal civil litigation, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • IP Suits Over Brand Owner Font Use Offer Cautionary Tales

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    Dyan Finguerra-DuCharme and Mallory Chandler at Pryor Cashman consider the history of fonts and point to recent court decisions that show how brand owners can avoid legal typeface troubles.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: Mexico

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    ESG has yet to become part of the DNA of the Mexican business model, but huge strides are being made in that direction, as more stakeholders demand that companies adopt, at the least, a modicum of sustainability commitments and demonstrate how they will meet them, says Carlos Escoto at Galicia Abogados.

  • The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms

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    In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.

  • FTC Warning Letters Note 5 Mistakes For Influencers To Avoid

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    The Federal Trade Commission recently sent warning letters to two trade associations and 12 health influencers over their social media posts, offering insight into how the agency plans to enforce its updated endorsement guides and highlighting five concerns to keep in mind for marketing campaigns, says Gonzalo Mon at Kelley Drye.

  • Ohio Voters Legalize Cannabis — What Comes Next?

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    This month, voters approved a citizen-initiated statute that legalizes marijuana for recreational use in Ohio, but the legalization timeline could undergo significant changes at the behest of the state's lawmakers, say Daniel Shortt and David Waxman at McGlinchey Stafford.

  • Opinion

    A Telecom Attorney's Defense Of The Chevron Doctrine

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    The Chevron doctrine, which requires judicial deference to federal regulators, is under attack in two U.S. Supreme Court cases — and while most telecom attorneys likely agree that the Federal Communications Commission is guilty of overrelying on it, the problem is not the doctrine itself, says Carl Northrop at Telecommunications Law Professionals.

  • 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.

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