Hospitality

  • February 26, 2024

    Disney Sued Over Woman's Death From Allergen-Filled Meal

    A New York man whose wife died of an allergic reaction after eating at an Irish restaurant at Walt Disney World is suing both the restaurant and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts for negligence, asserting they were repeatedly assured that the food they were served was free of allergens.

  • February 26, 2024

    Timeshare Settlement Can't Stop Additional Consumer Suit

    A Washington marketing firm must face negligent misrepresentation and consumer protection claims over links to a timeshare-exit company, according to a Washington federal judge who ruled that a group of consumers seeking refunds are not barred from suing because of a settlement in another case.

  • February 26, 2024

    Fla. Official Can't Save Home From Verdict, Businessmen Say

    Two Miami businessmen have urged a federal judge to block a city commissioner's attempt to prevent the forced sale of his house to satisfy a $63.5 million judgment, saying he voted to unconstitutionally gerrymander the city's districts to include the property and also improperly claimed a last-minute homestead protection.

  • February 26, 2024

    Mass. Casino Gets 2nd Fine For Taking Illegal College Bets

    The Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Monday fined Encore Boston Harbor $40,000 for improperly taking bets on games involving in-state colleges, the second such punishment doled out to the casino in the past seven months.

  • February 26, 2024

    Miffed NC Biz Court Mulls Sanctions After Missed Deadlines

    A North Carolina Business Court judge on Monday chided counsel on both sides of an employment dispute for missing important deadlines on the eve of a jury trial, causing him to postpone the trial indefinitely and contemplate dismissing the case entirely.

  • February 26, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Delaware's Court of Chancery dropped two potentially far-reaching decisions last week: one about founder control at Moelis & Co. and another about TripAdvisor's planned move to Nevada. On top of that, there were new cases involving Citrix Systems, Alcoa Corp., BGC Partners Inc. and Cantor Fitzgerald LP.

  • February 26, 2024

    Burford, Sysco Object To Nixed Swap In Price-Fixing Suits

    Restaurant food distributor Sysco and a Burford Capital affiliate both objected to a federal magistrate judge's decision not to allow the affiliate to replace Sysco in sprawling price-fixing lawsuits against pork and beef producers, asserting that the denial contravenes civil procedure rules and public policy.

  • February 23, 2024

    Restaurants Blast 'Fatal Flaws' In Chicken Price-Fix Deal

    Boston Market and other restaurants objecting to Simmons Foods' $8 million chicken price-fixing settlement with direct purchasers say the Seventh Circuit should unwind the deal because it improperly releases bid-rigging claims for no consideration and turns the massive two-track case on its head.

  • February 23, 2024

    Balloon Co. Blew Up Appeal Of Fraud Verdict, 1st Circ. Says

    A bid from the owner of a defunct balloon company to set aside an already-reduced jury award won't fly, the First Circuit has concluded, finding that the company's own acknowledgment about transferred funds "dooms their appeal."

  • February 23, 2024

    Trade Group Tells NC Justices COVID-19 Losses Not Covered

    A dozen North Carolina eateries are not owed coverage for pandemic-related losses, the American Property Casualty Insurance Association told the state's highest court, saying the policies at issue were never intended to cover economic damages "untethered" to physical loss or damage.

  • February 23, 2024

    With Interest, Trump Now Owes $454M For NY Valuation Fraud

    Donald Trump owes New York state nearly a half billion dollars after a county clerk on Friday tacked on $99 million in interest linked to a $355 million judgment in the state attorney general's civil fraud case against the former president last week.

  • February 23, 2024

    Staffing Co. To Pay $1.75M, Reclassify Workers In Calif. Deal

    An online shift-booking platform for hotel and restaurant workers will pay $1.75 million to end claims by San Francisco's city attorney and the state of California that it engaged in wage theft by misclassifying thousands of jobs in the hospitality industry, according to court papers. 

  • February 23, 2024

    Workers Snag Partial Win On Tip Notice Dispute With Denny's

    It is unclear whether 10 members of a collective in a suit against diner chain Denny's received a tip credit notice, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled, nevertheless granting an early win to the other workers claiming defective tip credit notices.

  • February 22, 2024

    No Partnership In Hot Dog Eatery Deal, NC Court Rules

    A restaurateur has beaten a lawsuit that alleged he jilted an associate in a deal to buy hot dog eateries, with North Carolina's business court reasoning the two never had a legally binding partnership.

  • February 22, 2024

    DraftKings Says Ex-Exec's $310K Attys Fees Bid Is Excessive

    DraftKings has told a California federal court that the "whopping" $310,000 in attorney fees requested by a former executive after the company shuffled the case back and forth between state and federal court is an unreasonable fee no "reasonable client" would pay.

  • February 22, 2024

    Scammer Who Did Time In Google Fraud Admits To 2nd Caper

    A Dutch citizen who previously served time for a scam involving fake, early-issue Google shares copped Thursday in Manhattan federal court to a new fraud caper, after prosecutors said he tricked an investor by dangling a fake Airbnb Inc. equity stake.

  • February 21, 2024

    Judge Rejects $5.2M Atty Fee Bid In Poultry Farm Loan Suit

    A New York federal judge rebuffed attorneys' attempt to collect a nearly $5.2 million fee for representing an affiliate of two billionaire brothers that accused an investment adviser of fraudulently inducing the affiliate to provide a loan for a Russian poultry operation, saying the adviser wasn't improperly defending himself.

  • February 21, 2024

    Restaurant Software Co.'s $9M Investor Deal Gets 1st OK

    Shareholders in restaurant digital commerce software company Olo Inc. have received an initial green light for a $9 million deal to settle class action claims the company touted a soon-to-end partnership with fast-food chain Subway as an example of its success.

  • February 21, 2024

    Irish Pub Chain's Ex-CFO Gets 1.5 Years For $1M Tax Fraud

    The former chief financial officer of a pub chain with more than a dozen Irish-themed restaurants was sentenced to one and a half years in prison Wednesday by an Ohio federal court for his role in a bookkeeping scheme that defrauded eight states of $1 million in sales taxes.

  • February 21, 2024

    CoStar, Hotel Giants Accused Of Data-Driven Price-Fixing

    Hilton, Hyatt and other big name hotel operators are the target of a proposed class action alleging they colluded with hospitality industry analytics firm CoStar Group Inc. to fix prices in luxury hotel markets in Seattle and other major U.S. cities, according to a suit filed in Washington federal court.

  • February 21, 2024

    Dubious Of Peak Season Claims, Judge Nixes Lodge's H-2B App

    A U.S. Department of Labor judge has rejected a South Dakota hunting lodge's efforts to hire six seasonal housekeepers for hunting season, saying the work hours logged in its payroll reports undermine claims of a "crushing" need during the early part of the season.

  • February 21, 2024

    Chipotle Swaps Gift Cards For 'Worthless' Vouchers, Suit Says

    A Chipotle customer hit the fast-food chain with a proposed class action in California federal court Tuesday, alleging the company is unjustly making hundreds of thousands of dollars by refusing to refund orders made with gift cards and instead offering disgruntled customers vouchers so limited that they're effectively "worthless."

  • February 21, 2024

    1st Circ. Won't Revive $19M Casino Deal Suit Against Wynn

    The First Circuit affirmed the dismissal of a real estate executive's suit claiming Wynn Resorts reneged on a handshake deal to pay him $19 million for helping it obtain a casino license, pointing to an opinion from Massachusetts' top appellate court saying the agreement is unenforceable on public policy grounds.

  • February 21, 2024

    Atlantic City Hotels Want Room Rate Suit Tossed

    Atlantic City casinos said on Tuesday a suit alleging they conspired to inflate room rates should be tossed, arguing it doesn't show there was any kind of agreement between the casinos and that its claims are partially time-barred.

  • February 21, 2024

    Cruise Line Hornblower Hits Ch. 11 With Over $1B Debt

    Cruise line and ferry service Hornblower Group Inc. and affiliates on Wednesday filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Texas with a plan to cut $720 million from its more than $1 billion of debt through a deal that will hand majority control to private equity firm Strategic Value Partners.

Expert Analysis

  • As AI Pricing Tools Evolve, So Does Antitrust Risk

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    As the use of pricing algorithms has given rise to regulatory scrutiny and civil actions, such as RealPage Rental Software Antitrust Litigation in the Middle District of Tennessee and Gibson v. MGM in the District of Nevada, independent pricing decisions and other best practices can help limit antitrust risk, say attorneys at Axinn.

  • How Investors Can Seize Renewables Opportunities In RE

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    As governments and stakeholders increasingly focus on sustainability in the real estate sector, investors could capture significant upside by implementing an operational real estate strategy focused on renewable energy sources, say attorneys at Goodwin.

  • What Large Language Models Mean For Document Review

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    Courts often subject parties using technology assisted review to greater scrutiny than parties conducting linear, manual document review, so parties using large language models for document review should expect even more attention, along with a corresponding need for quality control and validation, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Series

    Participating In Living History Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My role as a baron in a living history group, and my work as volunteer corporate counsel for a book series fan association, has provided me several opportunities to practice in unexpected areas of law — opening doors to experiences that have nurtured invaluable personal and professional skills, says Matthew Parker at the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services.

  • How A Gov't Shutdown Would Affect Immigration Processing

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    While a government shutdown would certainly create issues and cause delays for immigration processing, independently funded functions would continue for at least a limited time, and immigration practitioners can expect agencies to create reasonable exceptions and provide guidance for navigating affected matters once operations resume, say William Stock and Sarah Holler at Klasko Immigration Law Partners.

  • Opinion

    Private Equity Owners Can Remedy Law Firms' Agency Issues

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    Nonlawyer, private-equity ownership of law firms can benefit shareholders and others vulnerable to governance issues such as disparate interests, and can in turn help resolve agency problems, says Michael Di Gennaro at The Law Practice Exchange.

  • How To Protect Atty-Client Privilege While Using Generative AI

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    When using generative artificial intelligence tools, attorneys should consider several safeguards to avoid breaches or complications in attorney-client privilege, say Antonious Sadek and Christopher Campbell at DLA Piper.

  • How New Lawyers Can Leverage Feedback For Growth

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    Embracing constructive criticism as a tool for success can help new lawyers accelerate their professional growth and law firms build a culture of continuous improvement, says Katie Aldrich at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Series

    In A 'Barbie' World: Boosting IP Value With Publicity Machines

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    Mattel's history of intellectual property monitoring, including its recent challenge against Burberry over the "BRBY" trademark ahead of the "Barbie" film, shows how IP enforcement strategies can be used as publicity to increase brand value and inform potential collaborations, says Carly Duckett at Shepherd and Wedderburn.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: Australia

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    Clive Cachia and Cathy Ma at K&L Gates detail ESG-reporting policies in Australia and explain how the country is starting to introduce mandatory requirements as ESG performance is increasingly seen as a key investment and corporate differentiator in the fight for global capital.

  • Twitter Legal Fees Suit Offers Crash Course In Billing Ethics

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    X Corp.'s suit alleging that Wachtell grossly inflated its fees in the final days of Elon Musk’s Twitter acquisition provides a case study in how firms should protect their reputations by hewing to ethical billing practices and the high standards for professional conduct that govern attorney-client relationships, says Lourdes Fuentes at Karta Legal.

  • ABA's Money-Laundering Resolution Is A Balancing Act

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    While the American Bar Association’s recently passed resolution recognizes a lawyer's duty to discontinue representation that could facilitate money laundering and other fraudulent activity, it preserves, at least for now, the delicate balance of judicial, state-based regulation of the legal profession and the sanctity of the attorney-client relationship, say attorneys at Ballard Spahr.

  • A Festival Of Litigation Could Arise From 'Electric Zoo' Fiasco

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    Over Labor Day weekend, thousands of electronic dance music fans were displeased with the organization of the New York City-based Electric Zoo festival, which quickly elicited comparisons to the 2017 Fyre Festival — and three kinds of litigation could ensue from the debacle, say attorneys at Seiden Law.

  • Law Firm Professional Development Steps To Thrive In AI Era

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools rapidly evolve, professional development leaders are instrumental in preparing law firms for the paradigm shifts ahead, and should consider three strategies to help empower legal talent with the skills required to succeed in an increasingly complex technological landscape, say Steve Gluckman and Anusia Gillespie at SkillBurst Interactive.

  • What Upholding Of Short-Term Rental Law Means For NYC

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    A New York state judge's dismissal of Airbnb's challenge against the Short-Term Rental Registration Law will benefit the city's hospitality industry and exert downward pressure on apartment rents, and potentially provide a model for other local governments around the U.S. to curb short-term apartment rentals, says Alexander Lycoyannis at Holland & Knight.

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