Food & Beverage

  • August 31, 2026

    Oregon Packaging Law Survives Constitutional Challenge

    An Oregon federal judge ruled against a national trade association's challenge of an Oregon law that imposed recycling system costs on producers of packaging materials, rejecting arguments that it was unconstitutional.

  • August 31, 2026

    Kind Hit With False-Ad Suit Over 'ZEROg Added Sugar' Label

    Kind LLC violates food labeling regulations by selling snack bars containing the added monosaccharide allulose while prominently representing that they contain zero grams of added sugar, according to a proposed false advertising class action filed Friday in New York federal court. 

  • August 31, 2026

    Domino's Seeks To Deliver Noncompete Suit To Arbitration

    Domino's Pizza asked a Washington state court to compel individual arbitration of a former yard driver's proposed class claims alleging the company's conflict-of-interest policy illegally restricted workers from taking second jobs, arguing the worker signed a binding arbitration agreement when he was hired that includes a class action waiver.

  • August 31, 2026

    Trump Opening 1st Round Of Tariff-Free Ground Beef Tuesday

    The first 100,000 of a total 300,000 metric tons of ground beef that can be imported into the U.S. without an added tariff can enter into the country starting Sept. 1, according to a proclamation published Monday.

  • August 31, 2026

    Mead Johnson Prevails In 1st Infant Formula MDL Trial

    An Illinois federal jury sided with Mead Johnson on Monday in a lawsuit claiming its infant formula caused a premature baby boy to develop a fatal intestinal disease, rejecting his mother's claims that the company should be held liable for making a defective product and failing to adequately warn doctors of the risks associated with it.

  • August 31, 2026

    6th Circ. Backs $450K Punitive Award For Mich. Farmworkers

    A Sixth Circuit panel has upheld a $450,000 punitive damages award for five Guatemalan farmworkers who accused a West Michigan agricultural labor contractor and its owners of trafficking-related and wage law abuses, ruling that the award was constitutionally permissible despite the jury awarding only economic compensatory damages.

  • August 28, 2026

    Mead Johnson, Mom Clash On Formula Risks In Trial Closing

    An Illinois federal jury is set to begin deliberating Monday on a mother's claims that Mead Johnson is liable for her infant son's death, with attorneys making closing remarks Friday in the first test case to be tried among more than 800 consolidated lawsuits linking a deadly bowel condition to premature baby formula.

  • August 28, 2026

    Trader Joe's Must Face Smucker's TM Suit Over Uncrustables

    Trader Joe's will have to face Smucker's trademark infringement suit accusing the retailer of swiping its intellectual property to market its own copycat version of crustless PB&J sandwiches, after an Ohio federal judge ruled Friday the plaintiff "sufficiently pled fame to survive a motion to dismiss." 

  • August 28, 2026

    Mass. Coke Bottler Misclassified Worker To Save OT, Suit Says

    A regional Coca-Cola bottler misclassified a worker as an exempt employee to avoid paying overtime, a new lawsuit in Massachusetts state court alleges.

  • August 28, 2026

    Airline Caterer Let Harassment Go Unchecked, EEOC Says

    A global airline catering company failed to take action after a female employee complained that her male mentor regularly made sexual comments about her body, according to a suit filed Friday by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

  • August 28, 2026

    Uber Cars Not Enough To Establish Venue, Judge Says

    A Texas federal magistrate judge has recommended tossing patent infringement claims against Uber Technologies Inc., saying ride-hailing drivers' homes and cars being based in the district was not enough to establish jurisdiction over the company.

  • August 28, 2026

    Boston Eyes Liquor License Sold By Celebrity Chef

    The city of Boston asked a judge on Friday to block the anticipated transfer of a liquor license once held by celebrity chef Barbara Lynch, contending that Lynch's original sale of the license to its current holder was a fraudulent effort at evading what ultimately became a nearly $1 million judgment over unpaid property taxes.

  • August 28, 2026

    DOL Scraps 1980s Farmworker Protection Coordination Rule

    The U.S. Department of Labor is repealing longtime regulations that required federal agencies to coordinate protections for migrant and seasonal workers, saying they are obsolete and have not been used for decades.

  • August 27, 2026

    Albertsons Loses Bid For Midtrial Win In Wash. Opioid Case

    Albertsons can't escape the state of Washington's lawsuit accusing the pharmacy chain and its Safeway subsidiary of contributing to the state's opioid crisis, a state judge ruled Thursday in denying the company's bid to dismiss the case midtrial.

  • August 27, 2026

    Peeps TM Suit Hops Along But Rival's Candy Can't Be Blocked

    A New Jersey federal judge has rejected a bid to toss Peeps maker's trademark infringement suit against a rival candy maker, but he also refused to block the rival from selling bunny-shaped marshmallows, finding that it's unlikely consumers would be confused by the candies' different packaging.

  • August 27, 2026

    Food Processor Says Tribe's Request Would Hinder Its Ops

    A Michigan produce processor fired back at a tribe's request that it stop releasing water into local wetlands, telling a federal judge Wednesday that even though it may have dumped untreated wastewater in the past, it's no longer in violation and that any restrictions would hurt its business.

  • August 27, 2026

    Importer Duped NJ Distributor To Steal Grocery Biz, Suit Says

    An importer of Korean food products purposefully mischaracterized why it was ending a relationship with its longtime distributor to gain direct access to a popular grocery chain, a New Jersey business told a federal court, asking a judge to rescind the resulting deals.

  • August 27, 2026

    Mead Johnson Nutrition Head Defends Formula In MDL Trial

    Mead Johnson's head of nutrition testified Thursday in a trial over whether its preterm infant formula led to a newborn's serious and ultimately fatal gut illness, saying she had no reasons to worry about the product's safety but acknowledging it carries a higher risk for the disease than human breast milk.

  • August 27, 2026

    Krispy Kreme Must Face Claims Over McDonald's Rollout

    A North Carolina federal judge has denied part of Krispy Kreme's motion to dismiss a securities class action alleging it overhyped its partnership with McDonald's, allowing several claims to proceed that were made after the company may have known the collaboration would not be as successful as previously stated.

  • August 27, 2026

    Health Co. Gets Partial Win In Suit Over $8.5M Food Tech Deal

    A Florida federal judge handed a partial win to a health information technologies services company and its board Thursday, tossing some claims that they cheated a Canadian business out of $8.5 million in equity after fraudulently inducing the sale of a subsidiary specializing in plant-based extrusion technology.

  • August 27, 2026

    Salad Chain Gets OK For Lease Auction, New Ch. 11 Loan

    A Texas bankruptcy judge on Thursday gave drive-thru chain Salad and Go permission to take out replacement Chapter 11 financing on new terms and put about 130 leases up for auction, including 65 originally slated for a $105 million private sale.

  • August 27, 2026

    Grocers' Microcaptive Valid For Tax Benefits, 7th Circ. Told

    Chicagoland grocery chain owners' in-house insurance arrangement is a valid insurance transaction "and should be respected as such," they told the Seventh Circuit, saying their business should be allowed to claim microcaptive tax benefits to reduce its taxable income.

  • August 27, 2026

    Dems Want DOJ, FTC To Look At Sysco's $29B Jetro Buy

    Two Democratic lawmakers called on the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Trade Commission on Wednesday to closely inspect Sysco Corp.'s plans to buy competitor Restaurant Depot LLC aka Jetro Restaurant Depot at a total enterprise value of $29.1 billion, warning in a letter the transaction could hurt independent restaurants, farmers and Americans who "are already facing an affordability crisis."

  • August 27, 2026

    Kratom Group Says DEA Order Could Snare Natural Wares

    A kratom trade group has asked a D.C. federal judge to find that a recent U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration rule change targeting certain kratom-derived compounds should not apply when those compounds naturally occur in the kratom leaf.

  • August 27, 2026

    Mexico Growers Say US Erred In Not Revoking Tomato Duty

    The U.S. International Trade Commission based its determination not to revoke an antidumping duty on Mexican fresh tomatoes on faulty reasoning, a group of Mexican farm associations told the U.S. Court of International Trade, seeking a redo.

Expert Analysis

  • What New PFAS Rule Means For Tracking And Disclosure

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    In the wake of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's publication of its rule adding PFHxS-Na to the Toxics Release Inventory, companies should identify this substance in their facilities and supply chains, and prepare for disclosures to both regulators and the public, says Ayodeji Ayolola at Gordon Rees.

  • Series

    Judges On AI: How Courts Can Survive The Tech Revolution

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    Colorado Supreme Court Justice Maria Berkenkotter and Colorado Court of Appeals Judge Lino Lipinsky de Orlov discuss how artificial intelligence has already fundamentally altered the legal system and offer tips for courts navigating deepfakes, hallucinations and a gap in access to AI tools.

  • Food Kiosk Merger Offers FTC Insights For Dealmakers

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    The Federal Trade Commission's recent approval of 365 Retail Markets' merger with fellow food-kiosk provider Cantaloupe balances structural divestiture with behavioral provisions, emphasizing the role of early engagement by the parties and the importance of tailored remedies in concentrated markets, say attorneys at Freshfields.

  • 3 AI Adoption Mistakes GCs Should Avoid

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    The pressure in-house legal teams face to quickly adopt artificial intelligence tools, combined with budget constraints and the need to evaluate a crowded market of options, sets the stage for implementation mistakes that are often difficult to undo, says former 23andMe general counsel Guy Chayoun.

  • Series

    Playing Basketball Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My grandfather used to say "I wear your jersey" as shorthand for wholly committing to support someone with loyalty and integrity — ideals that have shaped my life on the basketball court and in legal practice, says Tracy Schimelfenig at Schimelfenig Legal.

  • AG Watch: Reconciling 2 Maryland Data Privacy Statutes

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    In-house counsel should map the interplay between the Maryland Online Data Privacy Act's strictly necessary standard to deliver a requested service, and the Protection From Predatory Pricing Act's exemption of consent-based pricing within loyalty programs, before the state attorney general begins enforcement on the latter in October, says Erek Barron at Mintz.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Georgia Court Has Business On Its Mind

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    Thanks to recent legislation, the Georgia State-wide Business Court will soon offer business litigants greater access to the court than ever before, further enhancing the court's emphasis on efficiency, predictability and accessibility for sophisticated commercial disputes, says former GSBC judge Walt Davis at Jones Day.

  • 4 Emerging Approaches To AI Protective Order Language

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    Over the last year, at least five federal district courts have issued or analyzed specific protective order provisions restricting the use of generative artificial intelligence platforms with protected materials, establishing that proactive AI-specific provisions are now standard practice and demonstrating that no single model works for every case, says Joel Bush at Kilpatrick.

  • 1st Surveillance Pricing Law In Md. Reflects Broader Scrutiny

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    A new law will make Maryland the first state to target data-driven or surveillance-based price manipulation, highlighting increased scrutiny from federal and state enforcement agencies and policymakers as they consider whether new laws are required to regulate dynamic pricing, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Heppner Ruling Left AI Privilege Risk For Lawyers Unresolved

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    While a New York federal judge’s recent ruling in U.S. v. Heppner resolved a privilege question surrounding client-side artificial intelligence use, it did not address how to mitigate the risks that can arise when confidential information enters the operative context of an AI system used by an attorney, says Jianfei Chen at Quarles & Brady​​​​​​​.

  • The Ethics And Practicalities Of Representing AI Agents

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    With autonomous artificial intelligence agents now able to take action without explicit instructions from — or the awareness of — their human owners, the bar must confront whether existing frameworks like informed consent and client privilege will be sufficient on the day an AI agent calls seeking counsel, say attorneys at Morrison Cohen.

  • Safeguarding RWI Coverage As Materiality Focus Persists

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    As first-quarter broker claims reports reveal that materiality disputes remain a key driver of representations and warranties insurance claims, the scarce case law in this area indicates that including a materiality scrape provision in an RWI policy may aid policyholders with recovery, say attorneys at Reed Smith.

  • Series

    Speed Jigsaw Puzzling Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My passion for speed puzzling — I can complete a 500-piece jigsaw puzzle in under 50 minutes — has sharpened my legal skills in more ways than one, with both disciplines requiring patience, precision and the ability to keep the bigger picture in mind while working through the details, says Tazia Statucki at Proskauer.

  • 2 AI Snafus Show Why Attys Can't Outsource Judgment

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    The recent incident involving Sullivan & Cromwell where citations in a filed motion were fabricated by artificial intelligence, as well as a punitive ruling from the Sixth Circuit in U.S. v. Farris, demonstrate that the obligation to supervise AI has belonged and always will belong to lawyers, says John Powell at the Kentucky School Boards Association.

  • Series

    Playing Magic: The Gathering Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The competitive card game Magic: The Gathering offers me a training ground for the strategic thinking skills crucial to litigation, challenging me to adapt to oft-updated rules, analyze text as complicated as any statute and anticipate my opponent’s next moves, says Christopher Smith at Lash Goldberg.

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