Carbone Owner Sues Pizza Co. For Trademark Infringement

By Craig Clough

The owners of the famous Manhattan eatery Carbone filed a trademark infringement suit in New York federal court Friday against Carbone Restaurant Group, which they say are collecting "pre-IPO" investments in a "Fast Fired By Carbone" pizza franchise by misleading the public into believing the two ventures are associated. 

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Costco Denied Breaks Due To Understaffing, Suit Says

By Benjamin Morse

Costco did not permit a former employee to take proper meal and rest breaks because the store was understaffed, resulting in unpaid wages, the worker said in a complaint filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court.

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Buyers Say Herbal Tea Co.'s 'All Natural' Labels Are False

By Mike Curley

A group of tea buyers is suing Celestial Seasonings Inc. in Colorado federal court, saying it falsely advertises its herbal teas as having "All Natural" flavors, when instead the ingredients list includes citric acid.

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Brief

Vending Co. Will Pay Nearly $7M To Hidden Fee Class

By Hayley Fowler

A federal judge in North Carolina on Friday gave final approval to a $6.94 million settlement with food service company Compass Group USA Inc. in a class action alleging it charged customers 10 cents more than the displayed prices for items sold in its vending machines.

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Colo. Judge Nixes Lender Claims Against Brewer, Bottling Co.

By Rachel Konieczny

A Colorado federal judge has handed an early win to a Hawaiian brewery and water bottling company accused by a lender of interfering with a court-ordered receivership and causing a shutdown order that halted bottling operations, finding the lender did not show personal jurisdiction in Colorado.

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UK Gov't Rules Out Farm Inheritance Tax Concessions

By Josh White

The U.K.'s Labour government will not make more concessions to farmers on its inheritance tax rule changes for agricultural land after a recent compromise on the tax threshold, a minister said in a speech at a conference.

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EU Council Approves Trade Pact With 4 S. American Countries

By Dylan Moroses

A legislative arm of the European Union approved the bloc's free trade agreement with four South American countries Friday, taking steps to create the largest global free trade zone.

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7th Circ. Upholds Ex-Atty's Conviction In Burke Bribery Case

By Celeste Bott

The Seventh Circuit on Friday kept in place the conviction and 32-month prison sentence of a Chicago real estate developer and former attorney for offering legal work to ex-Alderman Edward Burke as a bribe for help with a zoning permit, finding the government presented sufficient evidence to support a guilty verdict and arguments to the contrary were "unavailing."

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Food Service Co. Can't Sink Fired Manager's Sex Bias Suit

By Grace Elletson

A New Jersey federal judge narrowed but refused to toss a suit alleging a dining services company fired a district manager for calling out its boys club culture, leaving it up to a jury to decide whether the company's stated reason for her firing was a smokescreen for discrimination.

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Brief

Water Co. Investor Pulls Merger Suit Alleging $2B Loss

By Aaron Keller

A Primo Brands Corp. stockholder has dropped a 3-month-old securities lawsuit accusing company officials of wiping out $2 billion in shareholder value over two days last November by hiding issues during a merger with fellow water seller BlueTriton Brands Inc.

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Roundup

NC Biz Court Bulletin: Trade Secrets Row, A Patient Data Deal

By Hayley Fowler

The North Carolina Business Court closed out the year by tossing a trade secrets fight brought by a corrugated packing manufacturer against its onetime star salesman and signing off on a $2.45 million settlement ending claims a healthcare system sold patients' data to Meta.

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Roundup

UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

By Laura Stewart Liberty

This past week in London has seen a collapsed investment firm revive a $15 million dispute with a hedge fund, major Hollywood studios bring an IP claim against the U.K.'s largest internet providers over illegal streaming, and the Department of Health and Social Care sue the law firm and barrister representing it in a pharma competition damages case.

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Opinion

DHS' Parole Termination Violates APA And Due Process

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s abrupt termination of family reunification parole programs violates both the Administrative Procedure Act and the due process rights of vetted beneficiaries who relied on the government's explicit invitation to wait in the U.S. for an immigrant visa to become available, says Abdoul Konare at Konare Law.

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Opinion

The Case For Emulating, Not Dividing, The Ninth Circuit

Champions for improved judicial administration should reject the unfounded criticisms driving recent Senate proposals to divide the Ninth Circuit and instead seek to replicate the court's unique strengths and successes, says Ninth Circuit Judge J. Clifford Wallace.

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Bruce Fein Axed As Counsel In Maduro's NY Drug Case

By Rachel Rippetoe

A New York federal judge on Monday said constitutional lawyer Bruce Fein could not represent Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro after Fein admitted to having never spoken to or entered into an agreement of representation for the foreign leader, who was indicted on narco-conspiracy charges this month.

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Analysis

The Issues That Could Decide The Tom Goldstein Tax Case

By Jared Foretek

Federal prosecutors are set to begin making their case against famed U.S. Supreme Court lawyer and SCOTUSblog founder Tom Goldstein at trial Wednesday, alleging that he deliberately hid millions of dollars in high-stakes poker winnings from the Internal Revenue Service between 2016 and 2021 and lied on mortgage applications.

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Haynes Boone Opens Boston Office Led By Ex-K&L Gates Atty

By Tracey Read

Haynes Boone announced Monday that it has opened its 20th office in Boston, and that it has added a former K&L Gates LLP asset management and investment funds partner to lead the Beantown launch.

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4 Ways DOJ Probe Into Powell Could Be Risky For Trump

By Jon Hill

The criminal probe that President Donald Trump's U.S. Department of Justice has opened into Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell dramatically escalates administration pressure on the central bank, but it is not without significant potential risks for the White House.

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SEC Draws From BigLaw To Appoint Enforcement Deputies

By Jessica Corso

Two former BigLaw attorneys, one of whom served as counsel to President Donald Trump during his first term in office, have joined the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission as deputy directors of enforcement, the agency announced Monday.

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Sitting Judges Advocate For Bill To Allow Them To Carry Guns

By Courtney Bublé

Three federal judges have come out in support of a Republican-led bill to allow judges and prosecutors to carry concealed firearms across state lines.

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NJ US Atty Office's 3-Person Leadership Unlawful, Court Told

By Emily Sawicki

Criminal defendants in the District of New Jersey are challenging the three-person leadership structure now in place at the Garden State's U.S. attorney's office following the disqualification of Alina Habba, telling the court their due process rights have been violated by the allegedly unlawful system.

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Compromise Funding Bill Gives Judiciary $9.7B

By Courtney Bublé

Congressional appropriators have unveiled a bipartisan compromise funding bill for the federal judiciary for fiscal 2026, which includes the judiciary's requested funding for court security and federal public defenders.

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House Passes Bill To Double Ch. 7 Trustee Fee

By Clara Geoghegan

A bipartisan bill doubling the fixed per-case fees for Chapter 7 trustees is headed to President Donald Trump for a signature, after the U.S. House of Representatives passed it Monday night.

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Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

By Jarek Rutz

The Delaware Chancery Court closed out the week with developments ranging from leadership changes in a $13 billion take-private case and posttrial sparring over a major earnout to fresh governance fights, revived fraud claims and sanctions tied to advancement rights.

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