Hospitality

  • February 05, 2024

    Workers Want $500K Fee Award From Defaulting Restaurateur

    Celebrity chef Mike Isabella's refusal to admit that he stiffed his former staff on wages forced worker-side attorneys to expend thousands of unnecessary hours in pursuit of a default judgment, workers told a Maryland federal court in a bid to secure nearly $500,000 in attorney fees and expenses.

  • February 05, 2024

    Expedia Must Face Bankrupt Swiss Rival's Antitrust Claims

    A federal court in Washington state has refused to toss claims that Expedia drove a competing hotel booking website out of business by using its control over Trivago to change the price comparison site's auction process for the placement of listings.

  • February 05, 2024

    Restaurant Gets 'Mandatory' Wine-Tasting Death Suit Tossed

    A Connecticut judge threw out a lawsuit brought against a New Haven restaurant by the estate of a deceased worker who died following a "mandatory" wine-tasting event, ruling the eatery had no duty to get her a ride home rather than let her drive while intoxicated.

  • February 02, 2024

    NYC Serves Up Final Rules For Permanent Outdoor Dining

    New York City on Friday released the final rules for its permanent outdoor dining program affecting restaurant owners in all five boroughs, as a group of 30 Manhattan residents in state court continue to oppose what they say is a "massive zoning change" that poses environmental risks.

  • February 02, 2024

    Scammer Sentenced For Defrauding Amtrak And Trailways

    A California man has received in Pennsylvania federal court a prison sentence of more than four years for defrauding Amtrak and Trailways Transportation System Inc. after he tricked nail salon owners into sharing their credit card information and used it to buy and sell travel reservations.

  • February 02, 2024

    Pennsylvania AG's Clout In Opioid Deal Likely Has Wide Reach

    A Pennsylvania court's ruling that the attorney general had the power to overrule local district attorneys' objections to a big opioid settlement could affect the prosecutors' power dynamic beyond the painkiller litigation, overshadowing other areas where they could share jurisdiction or clash over politically sensitive issues, attorneys told Law360.

  • February 02, 2024

    Clyde & Co. Hires Ex-Lewis Brisbois Team In Chicago

    Law firm Clyde & Co. LLP announced Thursday that it had hired nine Chicago-based insurance law and general liability attorneys from Lewis Brisbois Bisgaard & Smith LLP, including that firm's former managing partner in the city.

  • February 02, 2024

    Holiday Inn Owner, Insurers Settle Suit Over $11M Ida Award

    A New Orleans Holiday Inn owner asked a Louisiana federal court to permanently dismiss its suit against three insurers over an $11.4 million arbitration award and related bad faith claims after the parties reached a settlement in January.

  • February 02, 2024

    Md. Bill Seeks Property Tax Credits For Residential Projects

    Maryland would allow local governments to grant property tax credits for certain hotel and residential developments with the requirement that larger developments include affordable housing under legislation introduced in the state House of Delegates.

  • February 01, 2024

    Ex-Server's Injunction Bid Not Valid, NJ Trump Golf Club Says

    A Trump Organization-owned golf club has called on a New Jersey state court to dismiss a former server's request for an injunction as she seeks to void a nondisclosure agreement she claims an attorney induced her to sign after the server accused a manager of sexually harassing her.

  • February 01, 2024

    Ill. Bar Freed From Suit Over Staffer's Alcohol-Fueled Fatal Fall

    A Chicago bar has escaped claims of civil liability over the death of one of its barbacks, who fell on his head while on the job after becoming intoxicated on drinks the bar provided him, after an Illinois state appeals court said that the only recourse was the Dram Shop Act, which the barback's brother did not seek damages under.

  • February 01, 2024

    Ex-Trump Org. CFO Faces Possible Perjury Charge, Mulls Plea

    Donald Trump's longtime top financial officer Allen Weisselberg is in plea negotiations related to potential perjury charges stemming from his testimony in the New York attorney general's civil fraud trial, according to a source familiar with the matter.

  • February 01, 2024

    Barnes & Thornburg Expands Atlanta Finance Practice

    A commercial finance team from an Atlanta-based AmLaw 200 law firm has joined Barnes & Thornburg corporate department, the firm announced on Wednesday.

  • February 01, 2024

    Possible Bias Spurs New Trial In Royal Caribbean Injury Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit on Thursday ordered a new trial for a passenger who sued Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. after she tripped and injured herself on a ship, saying the trial court should have investigated further when it found out one of the jurors was related to an employee of the cruise line.

  • February 01, 2024

    Ch. 7 Doesn't Nix Criminal Restitution, 5th Circ. Says

    The Fifth Circuit has found that a man who pled guilty to passing bad checks is still on the hook for more than $200,000 to the Wynn casino and resort in Las Vegas even though his debts were discharged through a Chapter 7 case, concluding the appeals court couldn't step in to overrule a Nevada state court's decision.

  • February 01, 2024

    9th Circ. Told RICO Claim Can't Stick To Enviro Complaint

    Developer Relevant Group has shot back at eight interest groups who told the Ninth Circuit in a combined brief that it should allow a property owner to challenge projects using California environmental law, in a case from the developer arguing the complaints over its work amount to extortion.

  • February 01, 2024

    NY Strip Club Loses PPP Suit Despite 'Discriminatory' Claim

    A New York federal judge tossed a suit brought by a Buffalo-area strip club that was denied Paycheck Protection Program loans during the COVID-19 pandemic, agreeing with a magistrate judge's reasoning that the government was within its rights to exclude adult entertainment businesses from the program.

  • January 31, 2024

    Final Immigration Fee Hikes Seen As 'Tax' On Employers

    U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services' final fee schedule imposing fee hikes for employment-based visas and a $600 fee to fund the asylum system is drawing ire from attorneys who say it amounts to a tax on talent-strapped employers.

  • January 31, 2024

    Insomnia Cookies Founders Settle For $3.5M With Jury Out

    Amid jury deliberations Wednesday, the CEO of Insomnia Cookies agreed to pay $3.5 million to his former business partner to resolve their yearslong dispute over the share of profits from Krispy Kreme's acquisition of the late-night cookie delivery business.

  • January 31, 2024

    Servers' Sanctions Bid Smacks SF Hilton Over Discovery Docs

    A Hilton hotel in San Francisco has failed to produce "responsive and highly relevant" documents during discovery in a suit accusing the hotel operator of pocketing tips meant for banquet servers, workers said in a motion to impose sanctions filed in California federal court Wednesday.

  • January 31, 2024

    Disney Loses Free Speech Suit Against DeSantis

    A Florida federal judge Wednesday rejected claims from Disney that Gov. Ron DeSantis stepped on its free speech rights by replacing a local oversight board with company critics in retaliation for Disney's opposition to the governor's "Don't Say Gay" law that restricts teaching about gender and sexual orientation in public schools.

  • January 31, 2024

    Mass. Eateries Blocked From Interfering In DOL Probes

    A Massachusetts federal court issued an order Wednesday restraining a pair of jointly operated restaurants from retaliating against workers looking to assert their Fair Labor Standards Acts rights to representatives of the U.S. Department of Labor.

  • January 30, 2024

    Ohio Operator Settles Choice Hotels' TM Suit For $400K

    A former Comfort Inn location operator has agreed to pay lodging franchisor Choice Hotels $400,000 to settle claims in Ohio federal court that the operator continued to use the Choice Hotel's marks and signage after their franchise agreement was scrapped.

  • January 30, 2024

    McDonald's CEO Can Be Deposed In Race Bias Suit

    McDonald's Corp. CEO Christopher Kempczinski can be deposed in a discrimination suit filed by a Black former security executive who claimed he was fired because of his race and for speaking out against his former boss during a company meeting, an Illinois federal magistrate judge ruled Tuesday.

  • January 30, 2024

    Calif. Audit Says Anaheim Misspent Millions In Tourism Money

    The city of Anaheim, home to the Disneyland Resort, has mismanaged millions of tourism dollars it gave to two business nonprofits by signing public funding contracts that lacked a proper monitoring process and resulted in corruption investigations of local leaders, California's state auditor reported Tuesday.

Expert Analysis

  • Cannabis Consumption Lounges Face Unique Liability Risks

    Author Photo

    As state laws regulating cannabis consumption lounges proliferate, operators must follow certain best practices to effectively address issues like air quality concerns and California Proposition 65 warnings, says Lauren Mendelsohn at the Law Offices of Omar Figueroa.

  • In-Office Engagement Is Essential To Associate Development

    Author Photo

    As law firms develop return-to-office policies that allow hybrid work arrangements, they should incorporate the specific types of in-person engagement likely to help associates develop attributes common among successful firm leaders, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Data Breach Rulings Stress Duty For Protecting Worker Data

    Author Photo

    Two recent rulings from the Eleventh Circuit have restricted employers' ability to defend class action claims stemming from data breaches that target employees' personal information, highlighting the importance of cybersecurity measures that acknowledge a heightened obligation to protect workers’ data, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • Perspectives

    A Judge's Pitch To Revive The Jury Trial

    Author Photo

    Ohio state Judge Pierre Bergeron explains how the decline of the jury trial threatens public confidence in the judiciary and even democracy as a whole, and he offers ideas to restore this sacred right.

  • How To Recognize And Recover From Lawyer Loneliness

    Author Photo

    Law can be one of the loneliest professions, but there are practical steps that attorneys and their managers can take to help themselves and their peers improve their emotional health, strengthen their social bonds and protect their performance, says psychologist and attorney Traci Cipriano.

  • Opinion

    Litigation Funding Disclosure Should Be Mandatory

    Author Photo

    Despite the Appellate Rules Committee's recent deferral of the issue of requiring third-party litigation funding disclosure, such a mandate is necessary to ensure the even-handed administration of justice across all cases, says David Levitt at Hinshaw.

  • Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid

    Author Photo

    As the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team strives to take home another World Cup trophy, their 2022 pay equity settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation serves as a good reminder that winning in the court of public opinion can be more powerful than a victory inside the courtroom, says Hector Valle at Vianovo.

  • The Issues Brewing Around Starbucks Labor Practice Cases

    Author Photo

    Starbucks is faced with fighting off another push for a nationwide injunction against firing any employees that support unionization, and there's a distinct possibility that the company and the National Labor Relations Board could be fighting the same fight over and over in various locations, says Janette Levey at Levey Law.

  • Investors With ESG Aims Should Heed Antitrust Reporting Rules

    Author Photo

    As investors globally are embracing environmental, social and governance investing, regulatory agencies have made clear that ESG initiatives are not immune from antitrust scrutiny, and investors cannot count on receiving special exemptions from the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act reporting requirements, say Jonathan Gleklen and Francesca Pisano at Arnold & Porter.

  • Perspectives

    Mallory Gives Plaintiffs A Better Shot At Justice

    Author Photo

    Critics of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern claim it opens the door to litigation tourism, but the ruling simply gives plaintiffs more options — enabling them to seek justice against major corporations in the best possible court, say Rayna Kessler and Ethan Seidenberg at Robins Kaplan.

  • Why Seminole Tribe Sports Betting Ruling Is A Net Positive

    Author Photo

    The D.C. Circuit Court’s recent ruling that a gambling compact between Florida and the Seminole Tribe is lawful even though it allows for online sports betting expands the tribe's offerings while maintaining exclusivity and is a win for individuals who wish to legally wager on sports within Florida, says Daniel McGinn at Dean Mead.

  • Courts Can Overturn Deficient State Regulations, Too

    Author Photo

    While suits challenging federal regulations have become commonplace, such cases against state agencies are virtually nonexistent, but many states have provisions that allow litigants to bring suit for regulations with inadequate cost-benefit analyses, says Reeve Bull at the Virginia Office of Regulatory Management.

  • Equinox Bias Verdict Shows Swift Employer Response Is Key

    Author Photo

    A nearly $11.3 million jury verdict against Equinox in New York federal court shows just how high the stakes are for employers dealing with harassment and discrimination in the workplace, and how important consistent investigation and discipline are when responding to individual internal complaints, says Jennifer Huelskamp at Porter Wright.

  • Tales From The Trenches Of Remote Depositions

    Author Photo

    As practitioners continue to conduct depositions remotely in the post-pandemic world, these virtual environments are rife with opportunities for improper behavior such as witness coaching, scripted testimony and a general lack of civility — but there are methods to prevent and combat these behaviors, say Jennifer Gibbs and Bennett Moss at Zelle.

  • ChatGPT Can't Predict The Future Of Antitrust And AI (Yet)

    Author Photo

    Though OpenAI's ChatGPT has made artificial intelligence a popular topic of conversation recently, the subject of AI and antitrust has been around for years, raising the question of what other competitive concerns might arise as the technology becomes more sophisticated and ubiquitous in our marketplace, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Hospitality archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!