McDonald's Accused Of Using AI To Hike Menu Prices

By Celeste Bott

A potential class action filed in Illinois federal court Friday accuses McDonald's of flouting federal and state antitrust laws by using artificial intelligence to coordinate prices among independently owned restaurants, causing customers to overpay and average menu prices to rise by roughly 40% in a five-year period.

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Starbucks' Protein Drinks Aren't Sugar-Free, Suit Says

By Gina Kim

Starbucks customers filed a proposed class action in Washington federal court on Friday, accusing the coffee chain of trying to capitalize on the protein craze last year by launching a line of protein beverages labeled "sugar-free," even though they contain 13 to 21 grams of sugar per venti-size serving.

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9th Circ. Invited To Take A Crack At Feds' Calif. Egg Law Suit

By Dorothy Atkins

A California federal judge refused Friday to toss the federal government's challenge to a Golden State law banning the sale of eggs laid by hens raised in "cruel" conditions, but allowed California to file an interlocutory appeal, finding "there is substantial ground for difference of opinion" on the government's standing.

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Burger King Says Ex-Franchisee Infringed With 'Jumbo King'

By David Minsky

Burger King is asking a Florida federal court to shut down three competing restaurants in New Jersey for alleged trademark infringement, claiming that the shops are run by a former franchisee who renamed her business as "Jumbo King" in violation of a prior settlement agreement.

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'Bikini Barista' Owner Owes Worker $1.4M For Legal Fees

By Ben Adlin

A Washington woman who successfully sued the owner of coffee kiosks known as bikini barista espresso stands won a $1.4 million state court award for attorney fees and costs, with the judge denying the defense's request for a 30% reduction in fees.

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No Consensus On Forced Labor Statement At G20 Meeting

By Jack McLoone

The Group of 20 nations failed to reach a consensus on a statement highlighting the need to eliminate imports of goods created with forced labor, with solely the U.S., Argentina and Mexico backing a document calling forced labor both a human rights and economic threat.

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Roundup Evidence Strong In Every Research Area, Jury Hears

By Cara Salvatore

A jury weighing cancer claims against Monsanto heard testimony Monday that scientific research shows a "strong" link between glyphosate and cancer in animal, molecular and human epidemiological studies, even when accounting for participants' exposure to other substances.

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High Court Won't Take Up Maine Lobster Boat Tracking Suit

By Allison Grande

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to consider a constitutional challenge to Maine's tracking of vessels that hold federal lobster permits, a policy several lobster fishermen claimed violated their privacy rights.

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Commercial Fishers Sue Over Red Snapper Catch Expansion

By Jared Foretek

A group of commercial fishing companies is challenging a new round of federal permits that allow Florida, Georgia and South Carolina to expand this year's recreational red snapper catch in D.C. federal court, claiming Monday that the permits would shrink the commercial share of the South Atlantic fishery in violation of federal law.

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DOL Given Until Year End To Fix H-2A Farmworker Wage Rule

By MJ Koo

A California federal court has ordered the U.S. Department of Labor to issue a replacement wage rule for temporary agricultural workers by year-end, rejecting the agency's request for up to six months and setting the existing unlawful rule to expire by the same deadline.

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DOJ-Agri Stats Settlement Offers Key Benchmarking Lessons

A Minnesota federal court's recent approval of the Agri Stats settlement marks a significant milestone as it's the most granular U.S. Justice Department guidance on permissible competitor benchmarking since the 2023 withdrawal of the safety zone, lending predictability for companies in data-pooling arrangements, say attorneys at Arnold & Porter.

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Abbott FCA Deal Shows Enforcement Adequacy Quandaries

Abbott Laboratories’ recent False Claims Act resolution illustrates several tricky questions that both prosecutors and defense counsel must address when weighing whether a civil enforcement action alone adequately addresses allegedly wrongful conduct, says James Koukios at MoFo.

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Why Importers Should Assess IEEPA Refund Claims Now

Businesses that wait for direction from U.S. Customs and Border Protection or the courts before seeking refunds of their finally liquidated International Economic Emergency Procedure Act duties in court may find them out of reach as the earliest potential limitation deadlines are approaching, says Samuel Finkelstein at LMD Trade Law.

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Analysis

Judge Clevenger's Intellect Defined His Time On Fed. Circ.

By Dani Kass

Newly retired Federal Circuit Judge Raymond Clevenger has an "exceptionally keen intellect" that allowed him to spot holes or new paths in cases that the parties or fellow panel members hadn't explored, his former colleagues told Law360.

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Sotomayor Warns Judges: Don't Scare Your Jurors

By Brandon Lowrey

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor on Monday criticized an Alabama trial court judge who frightened a pool of prospective jurors by ordering the arrest of a latecomer to jury selection, saying in a statement accompanying a denial of certiorari in the case that fear can undermine a defendant's right to an impartial jury.

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Quinn Emanuel Seeks $750K After Defeating Buzbee Suits

By Lynn LaRowe

Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan LLP is seeking nearly $750,000 in attorney fees after defeating claims in Texas state court that it conspired with rapper Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter to retaliate against prominent Houston plaintiffs attorney Tony Buzbee and two of his former clients.

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9th Circ. Pauses Rogoff's Return As Seattle US Atty

By Jack Karp

The Ninth Circuit has put on hold a Washington federal judge's decision to reinstate Roger Rogoff as Seattle's top federal prosecutor, a post Rogoff held for less than an hour before he was fired by President Donald Trump.

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Jackson Walker Deal Stalled By Standing Issue, Trustee Says

By Lauren Berg

The U.S. Trustee's Office told a Texas federal judge that its settlement with Jackson Walker LLP to disgorge fees from cases touched by scandal is on ice while a bankruptcy judge examines the watchdog's standing to seek such relief.

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Eckert Seamans Says Data Breach Harm Is Only Speculative

By James Boyle

Pittsburgh-based law firm Eckert Seamans Cherin & Mellott LLC told a Pennsylvania federal judge on Friday a pair of proposed class actions claiming damages from a data breach at the firm have not made specific complaints of actual harm caused by the breach and should be dismissed.

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