McDonald's Beats Most Of Black Franchisees' Bias Claims

By Dorothy Atkins

An Illinois federal judge on Friday tossed all but a single claim in litigation by former McDonald's franchisees who allege the fast-food giant systematically discriminated against Black operators, while warning plaintiffs that they "pushed — if not crossed" — boundaries by filing a complaint containing "more paragraphs than the Gettysburg Address contained words."

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Pepsi Sued For Negligence Over Worker's 'Perverted Behavior'

By Kelcey Caulder

Pepsi has been sued in Georgia court by parents who say a vending machine worker took photographs and videos of middle and high school girls and then used artificial intelligence to modify those images into child pornography.

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Corteva Will Pay $35M To Resolve FTC Pesticide Rebate Case

By Hailey Konnath

Corteva Inc. has agreed to pay $35 million to put to rest allegations from the Federal Trade Commission and a slew of states that the pesticide-maker blocked competition from generic rivals through the use of loyalty rebates, according to a motion filed in North Carolina federal court Friday.

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Kraft Heinz Must Face Cheesecake Snack Label Deception Suit

By Lauraann Wood

Kraft Heinz Foods Co. LLC must face a group of customers' proposed class claim that the company deceives consumers by making its Philadelphia Cheesecake Crumble snack with synthetic lactic acid despite its label claiming the product is free of artificial preservatives, an Illinois federal judge ruled.

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Driscoll's Hit With NY Suit Over Alleged PFAS On Berries

By Emily Field

A consumer on Thursday hit California-based Driscoll's Inc. with a proposed class action in New York federal court, alleging the berry-producing giant failed to disclose the presence of PFAS residue from pesticides on its strawberries.

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Domino Foods Fights Paul Weiss DQ Bid In Price-Fixing MDL

By Madison Arnold

Domino Foods is pushing back on an attempt to disqualify its counsel from Paul Weiss Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP in a sugar price-fixing multidistrict litigation, arguing Hershey, J.M. Smucker and other food makers filed the motion as a "strategic attempt to gain tactical advantage" at a critical point in the dispute.

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US Blocks WTO Appellate Body Selection For 100th Time

By Jack McLoone

The U.S. prevented the World Trade Organization on Friday from beginning the process of selecting members to the appellate body designed to settle disputes over WTO decisions for the 100th time, continuing its six-year blockade of the body.

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US, China Agree To Trade Truce Extension, Greer Says

By Dylan Moroses

U.S. and Chinese negotiators agreed to temporarily extend a trade truce and provide preferential tariff treatment for a subset of goods bought and sold between the two countries while discussions continue on a broader trade agreement between the world's two largest economies, the top U.S. trade official said Friday.

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Okla. Meat Processor Stinks, Neighbors Say

By Jonathan Capriel

Residents of a small town in Oklahoma say they are being "physically invaded by noxious odors" wafting from a meat processing plant owned by ESRO Food Group, according to a proposed federal class action lawsuit that claims the smell has harmed more than 1,300 nearby homes.

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3rd Circ. Backs Pa. Milk Bond Law In NJ Cheese Co.'s Suit

By P.J. D'Annunzio

The Third Circuit has upheld a Pennsylvania law requiring milk distributors to post an annual bond to the state, rejecting a New Jersey cheese seller's claims that the rule unfairly restrains interstate commerce.

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Aramark Faces Wash. Class Claims Over Noncompete Terms

By Rachel Riley

Aramark has been hit with a proposed class action in Washington state court accusing the food service giant of failing to provide advanced notice to Evergreen State workers of its noncompete terms and restricting them from taking second jobs, in violation of state law.

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Colo. Benihana Operator Hit With Rest-Break Wage Suit

By Benjamin Morse

A Benihana operator in Colorado denied workers required rest breaks and failed to pay them for time spent working through those breaks, according to a proposed class action filed in state court.

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Clothing Cos. Infringed Beer Brands' Trademarks, Suit Says

By Rachel Konieczny

Two Colorado clothing companies infringed the trademarks of several popular beer brands by using counterfeit marks on the clothing items and submitting fraudulent documents with forged signatures to online sales platforms in support of the items' sales, according to a lawsuit in Colorado federal court.

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Mich. Wineries Say Appeal Bid Would Delay Event Dispute

By Susan Smiley

A group of Michigan wineries has opposed Peninsula Township's request for an interlocutory appeal in its ongoing suit over hosting special events, arguing that the township is attempting to improperly bypass a Michigan federal court's earlier rulings and delay the case. 

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Brief

Waffle House Tobacco Fee Suit Stayed For Arbitration Bid

By David Aaro

A Georgia federal judge on Friday agreed to pause a former Waffle House server's challenge to a health plan fee for tobacco users until the court hashes out the company's motion to kick the dispute to arbitration.

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An Economic Approach Could Curb Broad Antitrust Classes

A Minnesota federal court's recent certification decision reflects a familiar antitrust pattern of inefficiently broad class certification even when the alleged conspiracy's effect is likely to vary significantly across buyers, but utilizing an economic interpretation of predominance would enhance efficiency by leading to narrower classes, says Sean Durkin at Charles River.

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Senior Lawyers Survey: Tell Us About Your Career

How are senior lawyers adapting to evolving career paths and emerging technologies? Share your perspective in this five-minute survey.

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Law360's Legal Lions Of The Week

By Kevin Penton

O'Melveny & Myers LLP and Reed Smith LLP lead this week's edition of Law360 Legal Lions, after the Ninth Circuit overturned a $140 million class verdict against CenturyLink, holding that the company had a reasonable interpretation of the Fair Credit Reporting Act.

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Arkansas Firm 5th To Seal PE Deal With Uplift Investors

By Tracey Read

Arkansas' largest personal injury law firm is the latest legal entity to ink a deal to take private equity investment using Uplift Investors' associated management services organization.

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AI Mishap Has Judge Questioning 'Our Collective Character'

By Julie Manganis

A California attorney was barred from representing the plaintiffs in a Massachusetts insurance coverage dispute and ordered to pay legal costs of up to $10,000 to opposing counsel, after a federal judge found he relied on "inaccurate and fictitious" case cites and holdings in three filings.

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Tarter Krinsky Faces Suit After Disclosing Data Breach

By Andrea Keckley

Tarter Krinsky & Drogin LLP maintained "intentional opacity" about a recently disclosed cybersecurity attack last year that may have compromised protected health information, a proposed class action alleged in New York federal court.

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A2J At The High Court: Gun Bans, Voting And Civil Remedies

By Marco Poggio

From the right to own semiautomatic rifles to the rules governing voter registration, the upcoming U.S. Supreme Court term will see the justices tackle a broad swath of constitutional and access to justice issues.

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Duane Morris To Settle Employee's Tax Withholding Claim

By Asha Glover

Duane Morris LLP has agreed to private mediation to settle a proposed class action by an employee who alleged that the firm failed to withhold taxes for workers who were misclassified as partners, according to a notice.

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Roundup

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

By Megan Norcott

The past week in London has seen Glencore Energy sue a refinery for allegedly defrauding it out of more than $236 million worth of crude oil, the former CEO of ankle-tag maker Big Technologies file a defamation claim against the company, and property investment group Hunter Jones hit by a claim from the Financial Conduct Authority. 

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GC Cheat Sheet: The Hottest Corporate News Of The Week

By Sue Reisinger

Wilson Sonsini topped a list of law firms that have alumni attorneys working at six of the country's most prominent tech companies. And general counsel at most large companies expect to increase their litigation budgets next year.

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In Case You Missed It: Hottest Firms And Stories On Law360

For those who missed out, here's a look back at the law firms, stories and expert analyses that generated the most buzz on Law360 last week.

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