Food & Beverage

  • May 20, 2026

    Jack In The Box Can't Dodge Franchisees' Indemnity Claim

    A Washington state judge Tuesday denied Jack in the Box Inc.'s effort to sidestep liability for job postings that allegedly violated a Washington pay transparency statute, ruling that two franchisees suing the fast-food giant adequately stated an equitable indemnity claim under California law.

  • May 20, 2026

    Amazon Rebuffs Lost Doc Allegations In COVID Pricing Case

    Amazon called on a Washington federal judge Tuesday to deny two consumers' bid for sanctions against it in a proposed class action over alleged price-gouging on the e-commerce platform during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the plaintiffs are trying to dodge major legal hurdles by leveling baseless claims of failure to preserve evidence.

  • May 20, 2026

    Ikea, Mondelez Customers Seek Tariff Refunds In Illinois Suits

    Furniture chain Ikea and snack giant Mondelez are the latest companies to get hit with Illinois lawsuits seeking refunds of tariffs customers say they ultimately paid through inflated product prices before the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately found the tariffs illegal.   

  • May 20, 2026

    Salad JV Partner Sued Over Cash Distribution Freeze

    Taylor Fresh Foods Inc. sued Fresh Express Vegetable LLC in Delaware Chancery Court Wednesday, accusing its joint venture partner of improperly withholding millions of dollars in required cash distributions while trying to force out the venture's longtime chief executive.

  • May 20, 2026

    Baby Food Brands Accused Of Toxic Levels Of Heavy Metals

    Walmart, Gerber Products Co. and several other companies were hit with a suit in federal court claiming that they knowingly manufacture and sell baby foods containing dangerous levels of toxic metals.

  • May 20, 2026

    AGs Seek Crackdown On Customized Food Pricing

    Online food delivery platforms are charging people differently based on the personal data they glean from their smartphones, and the Federal Trade Commission ought to force companies to be upfront about it, say 16 state attorneys general.

  • May 20, 2026

    9th Circ. Questions Jack Daniel's TM Win Over 'Bad Spaniels'

    A Ninth Circuit panel on Wednesday questioned whether Jack Daniel's proved that any mark beyond its name was famous enough to support a tarnishment ruling against VIP Products' poop-themed "Bad Spaniels" dog toy, while pressing both sides on whether courts should compare the parties' marks alone or also consider the toy's bottle-like design and crude humor.

  • May 20, 2026

    DC Judge Questions Red Snapper Season Expansion Plan

    A D.C. federal judge on Wednesday seemed wary of administration attorneys' claims that a new fishery permitting regime exempting four southeastern states from recreational red snapper catch limits this year would help data collection for future limits.

  • May 20, 2026

    Fla. Judge OKs Staff Bonuses In Popeyes Franchisee Ch. 11

    A Florida federal bankruptcy judge approved performance-based bonuses to a group of workers of a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen franchise operator, saying the program is key to maximizing the value of the debtor ahead of a Chapter 11 sale.

  • May 20, 2026

    7th Circ. Weighs If Abbott Warning Would Change NEC Care

    A Seventh Circuit judge on Wednesday pushed counsel for a mother asking to revive her lawsuit claiming Abbott Laboratories' infant formula caused her premature daughter to develop a fatal gut disease to address whether the mother had a burden to identify a more adequate warning that would have prompted her baby's treating physicians to act differently.

  • May 20, 2026

    PTAB Panel Saves Some Herd Management Patent Claims

    A special panel of three Patent Trial and Appeal Board judges has found that a regular review tribunal of the board wrongly invalidated some claims of an animal management patent, reviving those claims.

  • May 20, 2026

    Target Says Tuna Label Suit Rests On Generalized Grievances

    Target urged a California federal judge to nix a proposed class action alleging its Good & Gather tuna products are deceptively labeled as "sustainably caught," arguing Tuesday the plaintiff takes issue with the global commercial tuna fishing industry, which "may reflect some bad actors, but none by Target's suppliers."

  • May 20, 2026

    Mass. Justices Say Tax Law Not Basis To Block Bog Sale

    A Massachusetts law that lowers property tax rates on agricultural land does not grant standing to abutters seeking to unwind the sale of a Cape Cod cranberry bog to a developer, the state's highest court said Wednesday.

  • May 19, 2026

    Shoppers Seek Fees At 9th Circ. For Kroger, Albertsons Fight

    Counsel for grocery store consumers urged the Ninth Circuit on Tuesday to find they substantially prevailed in their proposed class action challenging Kroger's since-abandoned $24.6 billion bid for Albertsons and are entitled to attorney fees, arguing that the lower court wrongly concluded the case was mooted by other federal actions blocking the merger.

  • May 19, 2026

    States Tell CIT To Reject Gov't's Request To Stay Tariff Ruling

    The federal government's arguments to stay a permanent injunction against the collection of President Donald Trump's temporary global duties for two small businesses and the state of Washington while it appeals the ruling are overblown, a coalition of states told the U.S. Court of International Trade on Tuesday.

  • May 19, 2026

    Momcozy Hit With Class Action Over Defective Bottle Sterilizer

    Two mothers have hit baby product company Root Technology Ltd. with a proposed class action in New York federal court alleging that the Momcozy brand countertop washer for bottles is defective since the necessary high sterilization temperatures cause plastic parts to break off, creating a choking hazard for infants.

  • May 19, 2026

    Revoking Workers' Comp A 'Slippery Slope,' Pa. Justice Says

    A Pennsylvania Supreme Court justice Tuesday warned that cutting off workers' compensation benefits for disregarding a doctor's general health advice, such as not smoking, could be a "slippery slope" that leads to the end of coverage for many across the state.

  • May 19, 2026

    PBGC Defends 2nd Denial Of Pension Bailout Bid

    The Pension Benefit Guaranty Corp. told a New York federal judge Tuesday that it stands by its denial of a union pension fund's second application for a bailout, a day after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to review a Second Circuit ruling ordering the agency to reassess the request.

  • May 19, 2026

    Food52 Confirms Ch. 11 Liquidation Plan

    A Delaware bankruptcy judge Tuesday agreed to confirm the Chapter 11 liquidation plan for e-commerce group Food52, trimming a few features of the plan including releases for the debtor and the creditors committee.

  • May 19, 2026

    Wis. Tribe Says State Misreads 1854 Treaty In Fishing Row

    The Lac du Flambeau Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Indians says Wisconsin is misinterpreting tribal regulatory authority in its bid to block the tribe from barring nonmember fishing in 19 lakes within its reservation, telling a federal district court that the state can't prove key elements of its claims.

  • May 19, 2026

    Vietnamese Plastic Boxes Face Triple-Digit Duty Rate

    Imported plastic boxes from Vietnam could be hit with a more than 130% antidumping duty rate after the U.S. Department of Commerce on Tuesday finalized its determination that the products are being sold at less than fair value.

  • May 19, 2026

    Church-Run Farm Fails To Undo Child Labor Ruling

    A Pennsylvania federal judge refused to reconsider her ruling that a church-run farm violated federal labor law by putting children as young as 12 to work without pay, rejecting its bid to undo nearly $670,000 in back wages.

  • May 19, 2026

    Spencer Fane Adds GrayRobinson Atty To Food & Bev Team

    A former in-house attorney, who worked for Lyft and the Wine & Spirits Wholesalers of America, has left her most recent role as a GrayRobinson PC attorney to join Spencer Fane LLP's newly launched food and beverage group.

  • May 18, 2026

    Texas AG Joins DOJ In Investigating Beef Antitrust Claims

    Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has launched his own investigation into potential anticompetitive conduct among the country's meatpackers, a probe that will take place alongside the U.S. Department of Justice's ongoing investigation into the same allegations.

  • May 18, 2026

    EPA Plans To Repeal Biden-Era 'Forever Chemicals' Rules

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Monday officially unveiled plans to roll back limits for certain per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, aka forever chemicals, in drinking water systems and to delay compliance requirements, a move environmentalists said "needlessly" exposes Americans to dangerous chemicals and could be illegal.

Expert Analysis

  • Section 122 Tariffs Show Shift In Strategy, Not Trade Policy

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    By imposing temporary tariffs under Section 122 of the Trade Act as a stopgap measure while it pivots to less transitory statutory authorities, the Trump administration sent a clear message that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Learning Resources v. Trump, invalidating duties imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, will not precipitate a change in policy direction, say attorneys at Snell & Wilmer.

  • What New Animal Welfare Enforcement Push Means For Cos.

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    The Trump administration's recently announced multiagency focus on violations of the Animal Welfare Act and related laws will likely lead to broader enforcement actions across industries, heightened scrutiny of compliance standards and a need for businesses to adopt effective risk management practices, says Shennie Patel at Crowell & Moring.

  • In Hain, Justices Increase Stakes For Jurisdictional Errors

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    The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Hain Celestial Group v. Palmquist, addressing the consequences of a district court's erroneous dismissal of a nondiverse party before final judgment, has amplified the risk that a mistaken jurisdictional ruling in district court will render moot everything that comes after, says Steven Boranian at Reed Smith.

  • Series

    Podcasting Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Podcasting has changed how I ask questions and connect with people, sharpening my ability to listen without interrupting or prejudging, and bringing me closer to what law is meant to be: a human profession grounded in understanding, judgment and trust, says Donna DiMaggio Berger at Becker.

  • Lessons From Justices' Split On Major Questions Doctrine

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    The justices' varied opinions in Learning Resources v. Trump, which held the International Emergency Economy Powers Act did not confer the power to impose tariffs, offer a meaningful window into the U.S. Supreme Court's perspective on the major questions doctrine that will likely shape lower courts' approach to executive action challenges, say attorneys at Venable.

  • How The New Tariff Landscape May Unfold

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    To replace tariffs formerly imposed under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, the administration will rely on a patchwork of statutes, potentially leading to procedural challenges and a complex tariff landscape with varying levels, durations and applicability, says Joseph Grossman-Trawick at King & Spalding.

  • Weighing Confusion Claims In Shoes-NFL Steakhouse TM Suit

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    A recent New York federal infringement complaint by 1587 Sneakers against Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce's Kansas City steakhouse 1587 Prime confronts the thorny question of how much operating in different industries should factor into likelihood-of-confusion analysis and why consumer perception can matter most in trademark fights, says Nate Garhart at Spencer West.

  • Series

    Volunteering With Scouts Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Serving as an assistant scoutmaster for my son’s troop reaffirmed several skills and principles crucial to lawyering — from the importance of disconnecting to the value of morality, says Michael Warren at McManis Faulkner.

  • Compliance Takeaways Amid Subscription Practices Scrutiny

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    The Federal Trade Commission's prioritization of enforcement regarding deceptive billing and cancellation practices in recurring subscriptions, and new click-to-cancel rulemaking expected on the horizon, carry key takeaways for companies using recurring subscriptions to sell products or services, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

  • Recent Rulings Show DEI Isn't On Courts' Chopping Block

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    Contrary to recent narratives that workplace diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are on the verge of legal collapse, courts are applying familiar guardrails for litigating DEI-adjacent cases — requiring the right plaintiff, the right challenge and the right proof — rather than rewriting the rules on DEI, say attorneys at Krevolin Horst.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: In Court, It's About Storytelling

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    Law school provides doctrine, cases and hypotheticals, but when lawyers step into the courtroom, they must learn the importance of clarity, credibility, memorability and preparation — in other words, how to tell simple, effective stories, say Nicholas Steverson and Danielle Trujillo at Wheeler Trigg, and Lisa DeCaro at Courtroom Performance.

  • Aligning Microsoft Tools With NYC Bar AI Recording Guidance

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    The New York City Bar Association’s recently issued formal opinion, providing ethical guidance on artificial intelligence-assisted recording, transcription and summarization, raises immediate questions about data governance and e-discovery for companies that use Microsoft 365 and Copilot, say Staci Kaliner, Martin Tully and John Collins at Redgrave.

  • Class Actions At The Circuit Courts: March Lessons

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    In this month's review of class action appeals, Mitchell Engel at Shook Hardy discusses four recent rulings from January and identifies practice tips from cases involving allegations of violations of consumer fraud regulations, the Fair Credit Reporting Act, employment law and breach of contract statutes.

  • Navigating Exclusion Decisions After SEC's No-Action Change

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    Following the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's November changes to the Rule 14a-8 no-action letter process, shareholder proponents have turned to litigation if companies excluded their proposals under the new framework, with three recent cases offering useful lessons for companies navigating exclusion decisions this proxy season, say attorneys at Cleary.

  • 5 Different AI Systems Raise Distinct Privilege Issues

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    A New York federal court’s recent U.S. v. Heppner decision, holding that a defendant’s use of Claude was not privileged, only addressed one narrow artificial intelligence system, but lawyers must recognize that the spectrum of AI tools raises different confidentiality and privilege questions, says Heidi Nadel at HP.

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