McCormick & Co. Inc. said Tuesday it has agreed to acquire Unilever's foods business at a $44.8 billion value to create a global ingredients powerhouse, in a deal steered by four law firms.
Law360
Food & Beverage
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 2026 Law360 iOS App Law360 Android App Follow Law360 on Facebook Follow Law360 on LinkedIn Follow Law360 on Twitter

TOP NEWS

GettyImages-2222323486.jpg

4 Firms Advise On McCormick's $44.8B Unilever Foods Buy

By Al Barbarino

McCormick & Co. Inc. said Tuesday it has agreed to acquire Unilever's foods business at a $44.8 billion value to create a global ingredients powerhouse, in a deal steered by four law firms.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Agri Stats Antitrust Deal Includes End To Benchmark Reports

By Hailey Konnath

Agri Stats Inc. has agreed to stop producing benchmarking reports for protein processors — or change how it puts them together — as part of proposed settlements ending three cases alleging price fixing in the chicken, pork and turkey industries, according to motions for preliminary approval filed Tuesday.

2 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Cruise Ship Cuke Made Passenger Puke, According To Suit

By Ben Adlin

A Washington woman accused produce supplier Sun Commodities Inc. of providing contaminated cucumbers to her Celebrity Summit cruise ship, alleging that she was hospitalized with a salmonella infection due to eating them in salad during a 2024 voyage.

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Feature

Rats, Vapes And Vodka: Strange But True Cases For April Fool's

By Emily Field

A dead rodent in a burrito bowl delivery, a mix-up with vodka seltzer in the wrong cans and the Toys R Us brand taking on a Connecticut vape shop are among Law360's list of strange cases suitable for April Fool's Day.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

P&G Can't Escape Metamucil Lead Claims

By Emily Field

A New York federal judge on Tuesday said that The Procter & Gamble Co. must face a trimmed class action alleging that it falsely claims its Metamucil fiber supplement is healthy despite the presence of lead, finding that the claims aren't barred by federal law.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

LITIGATION

Wrigley Heir Beats Pot Co. Ex-Execs' Fraud Suit, For Now

By Jonathan Capriel

The former CEO of medical marijuana company Parallel, the scion to the Wrigley gum fortune, has, for now, beaten a lawsuit accusing him of lying about share prices to lure executive talent, with an Atlanta federal judge slamming the suit as "threadbare" and "devoid of even the most basic facts" about the company.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Sanctions Nixed In Suit Over Calif. County's Hemp Destruction

By Mike Curley

A California federal judge has vacated sanctions imposed on Kern County's attorney in a suit alleging the county and state law enforcement illegally destroyed 500 acres of legal hemp owned by Apothio LLC, saying a magistrate judge didn't follow the proper rules in imposing those sanctions.

Order attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Analysis

Defamation Litigation Roundup: Unilever, Afroman, Musk

By Theresa Schliep

In this month's review of defamation fights, Law360 highlights a new suit against Unilever by an ousted member of a Ben & Jerry's board, as well as Afroman's defeat of a case by Ohio police officers after a raid of the comedic rapper's home.

3 documents attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

PRACTICAL GUIDANCE

Getting The Most Out Of Learning And Development Programs

Junior associates can better develop the legal, business and interpersonal skills they need for long-term success by approaching their firms’ learning and development programs armed with five tips for getting the most out of these resources, says Lauren Hakala at Reed Smith.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

LEGAL INDUSTRY

Analysis

'Best Judicial System In The World': Alsup Reflects On Career

By Bonnie Eslinger

Before taking inactive status late last year, U.S. District Judge William H. Alsup presided over historic litigation in California's Northern District for 26 years, arriving at his San Francisco chambers every weekday before dawn to prepare for the day's work.

Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FTC Backs Florida's Move To Kill ABA's Accreditation Monopoly

By Hailey Konnath

The Federal Trade Commission said Tuesday that it supports the Florida Supreme Court's recent decision to end the American Bar Association's longstanding accreditation monopoly, agreeing with the finding that it is "not in Floridians' best interest for the ABA to be the sole gatekeeper" in deciding who sits for the bar exam.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

NC Attys Oppose DOJ Interference In State Ethics Complaints

By Hayley Fowler

A group of North Carolina lawyers is opposing the U.S. Department of Justice's proposed rule allowing the attorney general to review state-level ethics complaints against the department's attorneys, saying such a change would undercut the Tar Heel State's ability to regulate government lawyers.

Statement attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Blumenthal Presses DHS Chief To Scrap ICE Warrant Memo

By Courtney Bublé

Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., a top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, is looking for assurances from the newly installed secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Markwayne Mullin, that he will honor his apparent pledge to rescind a policy that allows immigration agents to enter private property without a judicial warrant.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Habba, Ex-Firm Get Defense Redo In Suit Over Divorce Advice

By Jake Maher

A New Jersey appeals court gave former acting U.S. Attorney for New Jersey Alina Habba another chance to pursue an anti-abusive litigation motion against an attorney suing her for malicious prosecution on Tuesday.

Decision attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

7th Circ. Scolds Ex-Judge For Citing Fake Cases In Brief

By Celeste Bott

A Seventh Circuit panel admonished an attorney and former chief federal immigration judge for submitting a brief citing two nonexistent cases and a false quotation, saying while such errors can be "tell-tale signs" of AI hallucinations, her denial she used AI is "plausible" and the court won't consider further sanctions.

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

'Construction Has To Stop!': Judge Blocks Trump's Ballroom

By Dorothy Atkins

A Washington, D.C., federal judge Tuesday granted a historical preservation nonprofit's request for a preliminary injunction halting President Donald Trump's plans to turn the White House's East Wing into an "enormous" 89,000-square-foot ballroom, saying "unless and until Congress blesses this project through statutory authorization, construction has to stop!"

Opinion attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Beasley Allen Seeks Stay Of DQ In Federal J&J Talc MDL

By Jake Maher

The Beasley Allen Law Firm asked a New Jersey federal court on Monday to hold off on disqualifying it from talc litigation against Johnson & Johnson while it appeals the disqualification order which it called "unprecedented and incorrect."

Memorandum attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Senate Dems Probe Musk's Alleged Role In CTA Retreat

By Sarah Jarvis

Three Democratic senators have asked U.S. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to provide information on Elon Musk's possible involvement in the rollback of the Corporate Transparency Act, saying the department's moves allow entities tied to the billionaire to operate in obscurity.

Letter attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

FBI Fired Agents Over Trump 2020 Election Inquiry, Suit Says

By Bonnie Eslinger

Former FBI agents who say they were illegally fired for working on the investigation into President Donald Trump's efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss filed a proposed class action in D.C. federal court Tuesday accusing the government of unconstitutional "political retribution."

Complaint attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Brief

Moye White, Ex-Landlord Settle $4M Denver Lease Dispute

By Zach Dupont

Days before the start of a bench trial between a Denver landlord and defunct law firm Moye White LLP in state court, the two parties reached a settlement, ending the litigation where the landlord accused the firm of owing almost $4 million.

Notice attached | Read full article » | Save to favorites »

Promo that reads Law360 Pulse 2026 AI Survey Promo that reads Law360 Pulse Live From ABA Techshow. Unlock  insights and essential highlights from industry leaders. Watch Now

COMPANIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

Agri Stats Inc.

Amazon.com Inc.

American Bar Association

Anthropic PBC

Ben & Jerry's Homemade Inc.

Black Rifle Coffee Company LLC

British Broadcasting Corp.

DoorDash Inc.

Federal Bar Association

Foster Farms

Google LLC

Johnson & Johnson

LexisNexis Legal & Professional

McCormick & Co. Inc.

National Association for the Advancement of Colored People

New York University

North Carolina State Bar

RELX PLC

Rothschild & Co. SCA

Sales Inc.

Sam's Club

Tesla Inc.

The New York Times Co.

The Procter & Gamble Co.

Toys R Us Inc.

Tractor Supply Co.

Triumph Foods LLC

Twitter Inc.

Tyson Foods Inc.

Unilever PLC

Walmart Inc.

YouTube Inc.

LAW FIRMS IN TODAY'S NEWS

Ashcraft & Gerel

Barnes & Thornburg

Beasley Allen

Cheshire Parker

Cleary Gottlieb

Clifford Chance

Cohen Milstein

Cohen Placitella

Covington & Burling

Davis Graham

Davis Wright Tremaine

Emery Celli

Faegre Drinker

Fitzgerald Monroe

Flynn Legal Group

Foley Hoag

Fried Frank

Gustafson Gluek

Hagens Berman

Hogan Lovells

Holland & Hart

Husch Blackwell

Kellogg Hansen

Kirkland & Ellis

Krevolin & Horst

Kriezelman Burton

Levin Sedran

Lockridge Grindal

Morrison & Foerster

O'Melveny & Myers

Patterson Harkavy

Peters Brovner

Porter Scott

Reed Smith

Sandelands Eyet

Sills Cummis

Sullivan & Cromwell

Susman Godfrey

Wachtell Lipton

Willkie Farr

GOVERNMENT AGENCIES IN TODAY'S NEWS

California Attorney General's Office

California Natural Resources Agency

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Federal Bureau of Investigation

Federal Reserve System

Federal Trade Commission

Financial Crimes Enforcement Network

Florida Supreme Court

Food and Drug Administration

Internal Revenue Service

National Capital Planning Commission

National Park Service

Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture

Texas Supreme Court

U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois

U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit

U.S. Department of Agriculture

U.S. Department of Defense

U.S. Department of Education

U.S. Department of Homeland Security

U.S. Department of Justice

U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia

U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota

U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Georgia

U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida

U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York

U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement

U.S. Office of Personnel Management

U.S. Supreme Court