Hospitality

  • March 03, 2026

    Texas Eatery's 'Fatal' Shortfall Advances Servers' Tip Case

    A Texas federal judge ruled Tuesday that a Fort Worth restaurant illegally took a $1-per-shift fee directly from every server's tips and failed to show the tip pool was distributed solely among eligible employees, in violation of the Fair Labor Standards Act.

  • March 03, 2026

    Venue Operator Seeks Toss Of Wembley Arena Vendor Suit

    A venue management company urged the Delaware Chancery Court on Tuesday to dismiss a lawsuit accusing it of sabotaging food service contract extensions at two major entertainment venues, arguing the governing agreement simply does not impose the obligations the plaintiff claims were breached.

  • March 02, 2026

    Seattle Kraken Owners Beat Appeal Over Scrapped Deal

    A Washington state appeals court on Monday declined to revive a company's lawsuit accusing the Seattle Kraken NHL team's ownership and entertainment company Oak View Group of pulling out of a planned deal to develop a large "eatertainment" venue near Climate Pledge Arena.

  • March 02, 2026

    Marriott Can't Narrow Seattle Worker's 'Willful' Wage Theft Suit

    A Washington federal judge tossed a Westin Seattle employee's claims against a hotel manager on Monday, but said Marriott must face allegations that it failed to reimburse workers' cell phone bills and knowingly withheld wages owed under state law.

  • March 02, 2026

    5th Circ. Judge Flags 'Pretty Extreme' Timing Of Barista Firing

    A Fifth Circuit judge said on Monday that the timing of Starbucks' firing of a California barista was "pretty extreme" and that management's words about benefits "do matter" as the court weighed the coffee giant's bid to overturn two unfavorable rulings by the National Labor Relations Board.

  • March 02, 2026

    Widower Drops Suit Over Disney Restaurant Allergy Death

    A Florida lawsuit over a woman's food allergy death at a Walt Disney World restaurant has been voluntarily dismissed, likely ending a case in which Disney made an unusual attempt to send the case to arbitration pursuant to terms in its video streaming service.

  • March 02, 2026

    7th Circ. Urged To Nix Wisconsin Homeowners' Tax Appeal

    A Wisconsin school district is asking the Seventh Circuit to reject an appeal by a group of homeowners that claims the Menominee Indian Tribe joined forces with it and other municipalities to increase their tax burden, arguing that the property owners' claims are not redressable in the federal court.

  • March 02, 2026

    6th Circ. Upholds 12-Year Stint For Mich. Doc In 'Pill Mill' Case

    The Sixth Circuit affirmed the convictions and 12-year prison sentence of a Michigan doctor accused of operating a cash-only "pill mill" that wrote thousands of opioid prescriptions, holding that the trial judge properly handled the jury instructions and key evidentiary rulings.

  • March 02, 2026

    Minn. Tax Court Erred In Valuing Hotel, Minn. Justices Told

    The Minnesota Tax Court improperly lowered the value of a Minneapolis hotel and convention center and should not have disregarded the minimum assessment agreement that existed between the county and the property owner, the county told the Minnesota Supreme Court.

  • March 02, 2026

    Hard Rock Cafe Settles Tip Wage Suit For $985K

    Hard Rock Cafe International has agreed to pay $985,000 in a class action accusing it of requiring its servers to perform excessive untipped work without paying them full minimum wage, the workers told a Georgia federal court.

  • March 02, 2026

    Colo. Casino Denied Wages During Payroll Change, Court Told

    A casino operator's switch to a new payroll system left hourly workers unpaid or underpaid, according to a proposed collective and class action filed in Colorado federal court.

  • February 27, 2026

    Ala. Lawmakers OK Boosted Tourism Project Tax Break Cap

    Alabama would increase caps on tax rebates available to companies that operate qualifying tourism projects in the state under a bill approved by the state Legislature and sent to the governor.

  • February 26, 2026

    Shake Shack Served With Wash. Class Action Over Breaks, OT

    Burger chain Shake Shack failed to provide workers in Washington state with mandatory meal and rest breaks, as well as proper overtime and sick leave pay, according to a proposed class action removed Wednesday to Seattle federal court.

  • February 26, 2026

    Tenn. Health System Can't Dodge $28M False Claims Act Suit

    A Tennessee-based health system must face claims it allegedly ran a sprawling patient referral scheme by overcompensating doctors in exchange for Medicare patient referrals and then billed Medicare $28 million for services it offered those illegally referred patients, a Tennessee federal judge said Thursday, denying the health system's dismissal bid. 

  • February 26, 2026

    Starbucks, Army Veteran Resolve Paternity Leave Firing Suit

    An Army veteran and former Starbucks employee has agreed to end his lawsuit accusing the coffee giant of failing to address his supervisor's insulting comments about veterans and firing him for taking parental leave, according to a Thursday filing in Washington federal court.

  • February 26, 2026

    DC Coffee Chain Compass Can Sell Stores In Ch. 11

    A Washington bankruptcy judge agreed Thursday to approve the sale of Compass Coffee's locations and other assets to the American branch of European coffeehouse chain Caffe Nero, the debtor announced.

  • February 25, 2026

    Soho House Supervisor Drugged, Raped Bartender, Suit Says

    A bartender for a Los Angeles restaurant operating inside the private members-only club Soho House was drugged and sexually assaulted by her supervisor, according to an employment suit filed Wednesday in California state court.

  • February 25, 2026

    Fla. Officials OK Land Transfer For Tampa Rays' Ballpark Plan

    Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet have granted Hillsborough College a plot of state land in Tampa that could be redeveloped with new academic buildings and a ballpark for Major League Baseball's Tampa Bay Rays.

  • February 24, 2026

    4th Circ. Nixes Tree Farm Plans For Va. Golf Community

    The Fourth Circuit on Tuesday found that a Virginia Beach, Virginia, residential community for seniors can restrict a company from planting over a centerpiece golf course with trees, in a dispute that escalated after the company put up a "spite fence" and banned walking on the course.

  • February 24, 2026

    Sneaker Biz Hits KC Chiefs Stars With TM Suit For '1587' Name

    A luxury sneaker company said Kansas City Chiefs stars Travis Kelce and Patrick Mahomes have driven its business to the "cliff of collapse" after infringing its trademark by naming their new steakhouse and apparel company 1587 Prime.

  • February 23, 2026

    NC Hotel Bedskirt Biz Spat Pared After Rocky Trial Start

    A North Carolina Business Court judge on Monday pared certain claims from a corporate mismanagement suit on the first day of trial after hours of testimony from a minority member who accused the majority owner of defrauding the business, following a benchslap in which the judge chewed him out for his tardiness.

  • February 23, 2026

    Flyers Seek TRO In Alaska-Hawaiian Merger Antitrust Suit

    Airline passengers are urging a Hawaii federal judge to preserve Hawaiian Airlines as a standalone carrier, contending in a recently revived antitrust lawsuit that Hawaiian's 2024 merger with Alaska Airlines has harmed consumers with higher fees, reduced routes and eroded frequent flyer rewards.

  • February 23, 2026

    Texas Officials Sued Over Camp Mystic Flood That Killed 27

    A lawsuit filed in federal court on Monday accuses Texas state officials of violating the constitutional rights of nine people who died during the devastating flood at Camp Mystic in Texas' Hill Country, saying several health department officials failed to ensure there were proper evacuation plans in place.

  • February 23, 2026

    Fla. Hotel's Control Of Beach Key In Drowning Suit

    A Florida state judge said Monday the estate of a man who drowned after being caught in a rip current will need to show that a Miami Beach hotel owned or controlled the beach to prevail on its premises liability and duty to warn claims against the hotel.

  • February 23, 2026

    Justices Wary Of Broad Reading Of Cuba Expropriation Law

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday appeared inclined to erect guardrails around a federal law allowing U.S. victims of property seizures by the Cuban government to seek damages, in a pair of cases involving damages that could exceed $1 billion and claimants that include Exxon Mobil Corp.

Expert Analysis

  • Attys Beware: Generative AI Can Also Hallucinate Metadata

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    In addition to the well-known problem of AI-generated hallucinations in legal documents, AI tools can also hallucinate metadata — threatening the integrity of discovery, the reliability of evidence and the ability to definitively identify the provenance of electronic documents, say attorneys at Law & Forensics.

  • When Atty Ethics Violations Give Rise To Causes Of Action

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    Though the Model Rules of Professional Conduct make clear that a violation of the rules does not automatically create a cause of action, attorneys should beware of a few scenarios in which they could face lawsuits for ethical lapses, says Brian Faughnan at Faughnan Law.

  • Series

    Practicing Stoicism Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Practicing Stoicism, by applying reason to ignore my emotions and govern my decisions, has enabled me to approach challenging situations in a structured way, ultimately providing advice singularly devoted to a client's interest, says John Baranello at Moses & Singer.

  • Series

    The Biz Court Digest: Texas, One Year In

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    A year after the Texas Business Court's first decision, it's clear that Texas didn't just copy Delaware and instead built something uniquely its own, combining specialization with constitutional accountability and creating a model that looks forward without losing touch with the state's democratic and statutory roots, says Chris Bankler at Jackson Walker.

  • AG Watch: Illinois A Key Player In State-Level Enforcement

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    Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has systematically strengthened his office to fill federal enforcement gaps, oppose Trump administration mandates and advance state policy objectives, particularly by aggressively pursuing labor-related issues, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Educating Your Community

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    Nearly two decades prosecuting scammers and elder fraud taught me that proactively educating the public about the risks they face and the rights they possess is essential to building trust within our communities, empowering otherwise vulnerable citizens and preventing wrongdoers from gaining a foothold, says Roger Handberg at GrayRobinson.

  • 5 Crisis Lawyering Skills For An Age Of Uncertainty

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    As attorneys increasingly face unprecedented and pervasive situations — from prosecutions of law enforcement officials to executive orders targeting law firms — they must develop several essential competencies of effective crisis lawyering, says Ray Brescia at Albany Law School.

  • Opinion

    It's Time For The Judiciary To Fix Its Cybersecurity Problem

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    After recent reports that hackers have once again infiltrated federal courts’ electronic case management systems, the judiciary should strengthen its cybersecurity practices in line with executive branch standards, outlining clear roles and responsibilities for execution, says Ilona Cohen at HackerOne.

  • Series

    Writing Novels Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Writing my debut novel taught me to appreciate the value of critique and to never give up, no matter how long or tedious the journey, providing me with valuable skills that I now emphasize in my practice, says Daniel Buzzetta at BakerHostetler.

  • SDNY OpenAI Order Clarifies Preservation Standards For AI

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    The Southern District of New York’s recent order in the OpenAI copyright infringement litigation, denying discovery of The New York Times' artificial intelligence technology use, clarifies that traditional preservation benchmarks apply to AI content, relieving organizations from using a “keep everything” approach, says Philip Favro at Favro Law.

  • How Calif. Law Cracks Down On Algorithmic Price-Fixing

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    Gov. Gavin Newsom signed two laws this month significantly expanding state antitrust enforcement and civil and criminal penalties for the use or distribution of shared pricing algorithms, as the U.S. Department of Justice has recently wielded the Sherman Act to challenge algorithmic pricing, say attorneys at Pillsbury.

  • Opinion

    High Court, Not A Single Justice, Should Decide On Recusal

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    As public trust in the U.S. Supreme Court continues to decline, the court should adopt a collegial framework in which all justices decide questions of recusal together — a reform that respects both judicial independence and due process for litigants, say Michael Broyde at Emory University and Hayden Hall at the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.

  • Series

    Traveling Solo Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Traveling by myself has taught me to assess risk, understand tone and stay calm in high-pressure situations, which are not only useful life skills, but the foundation of how I support my clients, says Lacey Gutierrez at Group Five Legal.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Client Service

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    Law school teaches you how to interpret the law, but it doesn't teach you some of the key ways to keeping clients satisfied, lessons that I've learned in the most unexpected of places: a book on how to be a butler, says Gregory Ramos at Armstrong Teasdale.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: 3 Tips On Finding The Right Job

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    After 23 years as a state and federal prosecutor, when I contemplated moving to a law firm, practicing solo or going in-house, I found there's a critical first step — deep self-reflection on what you truly want to do and where your strengths lie, says Rachael Jones at McKool Smith.

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