Outback Steakhouse Franchisee Hits Ch. 11 With $320M Debt

By Rick Archer

The operator of 61 Outback Steakhouse franchises in California and the Southwestern states Monday filed for Chapter 11 protection in Delaware with nearly $320 million in secured debt, saying the company had been "fatally undermined" by the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Splenda Maker Says Cancer Claims Weren't Protected Speech

By Corey Rothauser

Splenda maker TC Heartland LLC urged the Fourth Circuit to revive its defamation suit against a scientist over her public warnings about the sweetener, arguing that the First Amendment does not shield statements that misrepresent research or rely on concealed test results.

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USDA Appoints Tribal Advisory Members To Ag Panel

By Joyce Hanson

The U.S. Department of Agriculture said it has appointed four members to its tribal advisory committee and is seeking nominations for another eight people to serve on the panel that advises the USDA's secretary on matters related to Indian affairs.

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Analysis

Maine's Canada Trade Exemption May Ride On Midterms

By Dylan Moroses

The fate of Maine's relief from the trade war between the U.S. and Canada may lie in the balance of Tuesday's midterm election results, a dynamic that shows how trade policy can be influenced by the political winds, experts said.

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Trump To Remove Rwanda, South Africa From Trade Deal

By Asha Glover

President Donald Trump intends to remove Rwanda and South Africa from a trade preference program for African countries, according to a statement released by the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative on Monday.

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Conn. Water Co. Says PFAS Compliance Beats Class Claims

By Brian Steele

Connecticut Water Co.'s adherence to governmental PFAS regulations shows that even though its water contained allegedly toxic "forever chemicals," it was not defective or unreasonably dangerous, the utility said in response to a proposed product liability class action.

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Coors, Supplier Send Colo. Contract Exit Suit To Arbitration

By Rachel Konieczny

Coors Distributing Co. LLC and one of the beer wholesaler's suppliers reached an agreement Monday to allow an arbitrator to resolve the wholesaler's bid for a Colorado state judge to block the supplier from exiting the companies' decadeslong distribution contract.

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Monthly Merger Review Snapshot

By Matthew Perlman

The Federal Trade Commission caused a pair of playground equipment makers to abandon their planned merger, Canadian enforcers upended a deal for the Green Giant brand in the country and state attorneys general reached settlements for several regional deals.

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Dems' Senate Win Reshapes Trump's Judicial Outlook

By Courtney Bublé

Democrats winning control of the U.S. Senate on Tuesday leaves the Trump administration a narrow window to fill dozens of judicial vacancies under a Republican majority, with key GOP lawmakers saying they will use the lame-duck session to confirm as many conservative judges as possible.

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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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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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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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