Dems Interrogate McDonald's CEO On AI-Driven Pricing

By Hailey Konnath

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Becca Balint and other Democrats sent a letter to McDonald's CEO Chris Kempczinski, pressing him on the company's use of artificial intelligence-driven pricing recommendations and how it assesses potential harm to consumers and competition.

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Lagunitas Sells Beer With Risky PFAS Levels, Suit Alleges

By Rae Ann Varona

The Lagunitas Brewing Co. has been hit with a proposed class action in California federal court that accuses the Heineken-owned brewery of failing to disclose that its beer contains forever chemicals at levels far beyond those the Environmental Protection Agency has found to pose risks to human health.

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Mass., Idaho Voters Defeat Anti-Cannabis Ballot Measures

By Sam Reisman

Voters in Massachusetts and Idaho on Tuesday rejected efforts to repeal or restrict marijuana legalization, dealing a blow to anti-cannabis activists and lawmakers who sought to turn Election Day into a referendum on voter-led efforts to reform drug laws.

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Foodtastic Goes Public With MTY Bid After Being 'Dismissed'

By Al Barbarino

Canadian restaurant franchisor Foodtastic Inc. went public Tuesday with a roughly CA$982 million ($702 million) bid for MTY Food Group Inc., saying MTY "dismissed" its earlier approaches despite a decade of being "undisciplined in its operations and acquisitions."

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Volunteer Exits Malicious Prosecution Suit Naming DLA Piper

By Craig Clough

A Los Angeles judge on Tuesday tossed a malicious prosecution claim against a former volunteer for Breaking Code Silence on free speech grounds, even as he called the broader case against DLA Piper and the nonprofit "stronger than most."

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Brief

China, Peru Modernize Free Trade Agreement

By Jack McLoone

China and Peru have updated their bilateral trade treaty to both update existing provisions and add new ones aimed at addressing changes in commerce and global trade since the deal was first reached in 2009, the two countries said.

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David Protein Escapes Ingredient Antitrust Suit For Good

By Matthew Perlman

A New York federal court has tossed a lawsuit accusing protein bar-maker David Protein of refusing to sell a key fat replacement ingredient to low-calorie food producers after finding a lack of harm in any specific market.

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Brief

Uber, Photographers Cut Deal In Suit Over Uber Eats Photos

By Theresa Schliep

Nearly two dozen photographers have reached a settlement in principle with Uber over claims that the company used their photos on Uber Eats without permission and infringed their copyrights, according to a joint notice the parties filed in Florida federal court Tuesday.

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Kroger Seeks To Exit Sony's Influencer Music Copyright Suit

By Adam Lidgett

Grocery chain Kroger and a host of related companies have asked a California federal judge to dismiss Sony Music's suit over influencer ad videos, saying the suit doesn't adequately identify which party was using which recording.

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Ingredient Co. Says Insurer Must Cover Salmonella Claims

By Hope Patti

A pharmaceutical and nutraceutical ingredient supplier said it is entitled to coverage for underlying suits concerning nutritional supplement powder that was recalled due to potential salmonella contamination, telling a Massachusetts federal court Tuesday that its insurer wrongly denied coverage based on a communicable or infectious disease exclusion.

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Squires Grants 4 IPRs, Denies 6 Before Handing Over Power

By Dani Kass

U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires on Tuesday instituted four inter partes reviews in what could be the final petitions for which he reviews the merits.

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Outback Franchisee Can Tap Ch. 11 Loan To Make Payroll

By Vince Sullivan

The country's largest Outback Steakhouse franchisee received approval Tuesday from a Delaware bankruptcy judge to access part of a $5.5 million Chapter 11 loan so that it can meet an upcoming payroll obligation and keep food and liquor flowing to its restaurants over the next few weeks.

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Approach The Bench: Judge Wilson On Trial By Zoom

By Cara Bayles and Kelley Marcano

Before she became a state court judge in Washington, Judge Coreen Wilson worked as a trial attorney litigating hundreds of cases, including the country's first binding virtual civil jury trial during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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DOJ Says Trump Adviser Needn't Answer ABA Subpoenas Yet

By Jared Foretek

The U.S. Department of Justice is arguing that Trump attorney Boris Epshteyn shouldn't have to respond to subpoenas from the American Bar Association in its challenge to the Trump administration's campaign against law firms until the presiding judge rules on the administration's preexisting motion to quash them.

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Judge Questions Federal Role In Ed Martin Ethics Case

By Jared Foretek

A D.C. federal judge struggled Tuesday to see how he could preside over a state attorney ethics proceeding if U.S. pardon attorney Ed Martin gets his way and keeps the case in federal court, as the city's ethics board fought to have it sent back to state court.

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Brownstein Hyatt Faces Suit Over Flawed Cannabis Co. Deal

By Rachel Konieczny

A Colorado real estate developer and his company alleged that Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck LLP negligently drafted their settlement agreement in a dispute with members of cannabis dispensary chain Native Roots over a sale of the chain's entities, resulting in a roughly $100 million arbitration award against the developer's company.

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Texas Atty Seeks Release In Cyberstalking Case

By Lynn LaRowe

A Texas lawyer who is expected to plead guilty in a cyberstalking case involving BigLaw firm attorneys is asking a federal court to free her, saying circumstances are "materially different" because of mental health treatment she has received while behind bars.

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Adult Daycare Pushes To Revive Suit Against Fox Rothschild

By Rose Krebs

An adult daycare company is asking a New Jersey state court to undo the toss of its suit against Fox Rothschild LLP and one of its attorneys, saying the dismissal was in error because the business had sought more time to respond to a dismissal motion.

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Ashurst Perkins ICap Suit Stayed Amid Bankruptcy Fight

By Ben Adlin

A Washington state judge has agreed to freeze a lawsuit accusing law firm Ashurst Perkins Coie of aiding and abetting a nearly $230 million Ponzi scheme, ordering the King County Superior Court litigation be put on hold pending an outcome in a related bankruptcy dispute.

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Roundup

The Top In-House Hires Of October

By Michele Gorman

Legal department hires during the past month included high-profile appointments at Fox, Dell and LinkedIn. Here, Law360 Pulse looks at some of the top in-house announcements from October.

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