Food & Beverage

  • January 28, 2025

    Baker Botts Atty Says Inventor's Defamation Claims Are False

    A Baker Botts LLP partner hit back Tuesday against a patent-licensing company executive's claims that she made defamatory statements about him related to infringement litigation over a patent for a mobile restaurant ordering app with personalized suggestions.

  • January 28, 2025

    Feds, Enviro Orgs. Look To Sink Farm's 'Swampbuster' Challenge

    The federal government and environmental groups have asked an Iowa federal court to reject a farm owner's effort to overturn the "Swampbuster" conservation law that aims to protect wetlands in agricultural areas.

  • January 28, 2025

    Nestle Plant Can Switch Power Providers, Ga. Justices Rule

    The Supreme Court of Georgia ruled Tuesday that Nestle should have been allowed to switch electricity providers from Georgia Power to Walton EMC after renovating a former warehouse facility in Hartwell, Georgia. 

  • January 28, 2025

    Trader Joe's Accused Of Badly Stocked 401(k), High Fees

    Grocery chain Trader Joe's mismanaged its retirement plan for employees to the tune of tens of millions of dollars, according to a potential class action filed Tuesday in Massachusetts federal court.

  • January 28, 2025

    Menendez Says Any Prison Time Should Wait For Appeal

    Former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez told a Manhattan federal judge ahead of his sentencing hearing Wednesday that any prison term should be delayed until after his appeal of his bribery conviction plays out, saying the Second Circuit could well rule in his favor.

  • January 28, 2025

    Paul Hastings, Cravath Lead Smithfield's Reduced $522M IPO

    Shares of pork producer Smithfield Foods Inc., which has spun off from China's WH Group, began trading Tuesday after the company priced a downsized $522 million initial public offering below its initial range, with Paul Hastings LLP advising Smithfield in the offering and Cravath Swaine & Moore LLP representing its underwriters.

  • January 28, 2025

    Mich. Steakhouse Drops $2M Negligence Suit Against Atty

    A Michigan steakhouse has dropped its malpractice suit against its former attorney after claiming the lawyer made mistakes in franchise agreements that cost it more than $2 million, according to a stipulated order Tuesday.

  • January 28, 2025

    6th Circ. Seems Cold To Dairy Queen Franchisee's Sale Appeal

    A Sixth Circuit panel appeared skeptical Tuesday that Dairy Queen violated the terms of a franchise agreement with the owners of a dozen restaurant locations in Michigan by blocking the proposed sale of two stores.

  • January 28, 2025

    Faegre Drinker Adds Ex-Smithfield Foods Deputy GC In DC

    Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath LLP has grown its food and agribusiness litigation capabilities with the addition of the former deputy general counsel for pork processor Smithfield Foods.

  • January 27, 2025

    Pilgrim's Pride, Investors Ink $41.5M Price-Fixing Deal

    Investors in Pilgrim's Pride asked a Colorado federal judge Friday to greenlight a settlement with the meat company and its former CEO, who have agreed to pay $41.5 million to resolve long-running claims over misrepresentations and price-fixing in the broiler chicken market that led to artificially inflated stock prices.

  • January 27, 2025

    Gerber, Nestle Sued Over Claims Of Metal In Baby Food

    A mother has filed suit against baby food manufacturers, including Gerber Products Co., Beech-Nut Nutrition Co. and Walmart Inc., claiming her child developed autism after consuming their products, which were tainted with heavy metals, and she is seeking to join the larger multidistrict litigation.

  • January 27, 2025

    Ga. Appeals Panel Revives Malpractice Suit Against Law Firm

    The Georgia Court of Appeals partly reinstated a malpractice suit accusing a Georgia law firm and one of its former attorneys of failing to show up at a client's bench trial that ended with a $100,000 judgment against the client.

  • January 27, 2025

    Walmart Hit With False Ad Suit Over Instant Mac And Cheese

    Walmart Inc. was hit with a putative false advertising class action in California federal court by customers who say the retail giant falsely markets its Great Value brand of instant macaroni and cheese products as containing no artificial preservatives and flavors, despite citric acid being part of the ingredients list.

  • January 27, 2025

    Compass Group Illegally Solicits Genetic Info, Suit Says

    Food service company Compass Group's U.S. arm has been hit with genetic privacy claims brought by a proposed class in Illinois state court for allegedly requiring job applicants to disclose their personal medical history information during physical examinations.

  • January 27, 2025

    Fed Fisheries Seek Win In Tide Gate Fight Over Salmon

    The National Marine Fisheries Service has sought an early win in a suit by a county dike district challenging a U.S. government biological opinion that says a proposed tide gate project endangers salmon, telling a Washington federal judge that its ecological findings are reasonable.

  • January 27, 2025

    4 Things The Menendez Trial Judge Will Weigh At Sentencing

    When he sentences former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez on federal bribery and corruption charges Wednesday in New York federal court, U.S. District Judge Sidney Stein will weigh the politician's lifetime of public service against the stark evidence of his crimes.

  • January 27, 2025

    Fla. Judge Accused Of Bias In Energy Drink Co. Ch. 11

    A Florida federal bankruptcy judge overseeing the Chapter 11 case of the company that makes Bang energy drinks was sued by its founder, who alleged the judge was biased throughout the proceedings and made several rulings that financially harmed him and the company.

  • January 27, 2025

    Fla. Judge Won't Recuse Over 'Adverse Ruling' In CBD Row

    A Florida federal magistrate judge has refused to step down from a case where she recommended sanctioning an attorney representing a franchisee in a contract dispute with CBD American Shaman LLC, saying adverse rulings are not grounds for recusal.

  • January 24, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Partly Revives Steuben's Win In $38M IP Trial

    The Federal Circuit largely revived Steuben Foods' infringement victory from a jury trial on Friday, in an opinion that also delved into the status of the rarely used reverse doctrine of equivalents.

  • January 24, 2025

    Ex-Koch Managers Ask 11th. Circ. To Undo Assault Verdict

    The Eleventh Circuit on Friday considered whether to reverse assault and battery verdicts against two former Koch Foods human resource managers accused of inviting an employee to their home, propositioning her and subjecting her to disciplinary action at work when she refused their advances.

  • January 24, 2025

    Deere Loses Fed. Circ. Bid To Revive Seeding Patent Fight

    The Federal Circuit on Friday shot down John Deere's appeal of its loss at the lower court in a case where a jury found that a rival's SpeedTube products didn't infringe a pair of patents, affirming a lower court's denial of the farming equipment giant's bid for a new trial.

  • January 24, 2025

    Agri Stats Demands Details On DOJ's Info-Sharing Claims

    Agri Stats has accused the U.S. Department of Justice of refusing to identify specific data fields in the company's reports that allegedly allowed chicken, pork and turkey producers to exchange competitively sensitive information, as it readies its defense in the agency's antitrust case.

  • January 24, 2025

    Scorned Hot Dog Biz Buyer Urges NC Justices To Revive Suit

    A businessman who claims he was cut out of a deal to buy a chain of Ohio hot dog eateries urged the North Carolina Supreme Court to revive his suit against a man who the businessman said was supposed to be his partner, arguing only a jury can resolve the matter.

  • January 24, 2025

    Campbell's Unit Accused Of Failing To Pay For Off-Clock Work

    A Campbell's subsidiary fails to compensate hourly paid packing employees for the several minutes they spend each day performing certain tasks before and after their shifts, a proposed collective action filed in North Carolina federal court said.

  • January 24, 2025

    Circle K Fails To Pay For Travel Costs, Manager Says

    Convenience store chain Circle K requires store managers to make trips to other locations to pick up out-of-stock items but doesn't reimburse them for the costs associated with this travel, a proposed class action filed in Illinois state court said.

Expert Analysis

  • 'Greenhushing': Why Some Cos. Are Keeping Quiet On ESG

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    A wave of ESG-related litigation and regulations have led some companies to retreat altogether from any public statements about their ESG goals, a trend known as "greenhushing" that was at the center of a recent D.C. court decision involving Coca-Cola, say Gonzalo Mon and Katie Rogers at Kelley Drye.

  • Co-Tenancy Clause Pointers For Shopping Center Landlords

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    Large retail tenants often require co-tenancy provisions in their leases, entitling them to remedies if a shopping center's occupancy drops in certain ways, but landlords must draft these provisions carefully to avoid giving tenants too much control, says Gary Glick at Cox Castle.

  • Complying With FTC's Final Rule On Sham Online Reviews

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    The Federal Trade Commission's final rule on deceptive acts and practices in online reviews and testimonials is effective Oct. 21, and some practice tips can help businesses avert noncompliance risks, say Airina Rodrigues and Jonathan Sandler at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • Nuclear Waste Storage Questions Justices May Soon Address

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    The petition for the U.S. Supreme Court to review U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission v. Texas stands out for a number of reasons — including a deepening circuit split regarding the NRC's nuclear waste storage authority under the Atomic Energy Act, and broader administrative law implications, say attorneys at MoloLamken.

  • 3 Patent Considerations For America's New Quantum Hub

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    Recent developments signal an incredibly bright future for Chicago as the new home of quantum computing, and it is crucial that these innovators — whose technology has the potential to transform many industries — prioritize intellectual property strategy, says Andrew Velzen at McDonnell Boehnen.

  • Navigating A Potpourri Of Possible Transparency Act Pitfalls

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    Despite the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network's continued release of guidance for complying with the Corporate Transparency Act, its interpretation remains in flux, making it important for companies to understand potentially problematic areas of ambiguity in the practical application of the law, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Fed. Circ. Ruling Creates New Rule For Certification Marks

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    The Federal Circuit's decision last month in Bureau National Interprofessionnel du Cognac v. Cologne & Cognac Entertainment is significant in that it establishes a new standard for assessing evidence of third-party uses of a certification mark in deciding whether the mark is famous, say Samantha Katze and Lisa Rosaya at Manatt.

  • Series

    After Chevron: Conservation Rule Already Faces Challenges

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    The Bureau of Land Management's interpretation of land "use" in its Conservation and Landscape Health Rule is contrary to the agency's past practice and other Federal Land Policy and Management Act provisions, leaving the rule exposed in four legal challenges that may carry greater force in the wake of Loper Bright, say Stacey Bosshardt and Stephanie Regenold at Perkins Coie.

  • A Preview Of AI Priorities Under The Next President

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    For the first time in a presidential election, both of the leading candidates and their parties have been vocal about artificial intelligence policy, offering clues on the future of regulation as AI continues to advance and congressional action continues to stall, say attorneys at Mintz.

  • How Companies Are Approaching Insider Trading Policies

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    An analysis of insider trading policies recently disclosed by 49 S&P 500 companies under a new U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission rule reveals that while specific provisions vary from company to company, certain common themes are emerging, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.

  • How Methods Are Evolving In Textualist Interpretations

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    Textualists at the U.S. Supreme Court are increasingly considering new methods such as corpus linguistics and surveys to evaluate what a statute's text communicates to an ordinary reader, while lower courts even mull large language models like ChatGPT as supplements, says Kevin Tobia at Georgetown Law.

  • The Fed. Circ. In August: Secret Sales And Public Disclosures

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    Two recent Federal Circuit rulings — Sanho v. Kaijet and Celanese International v. ITC — highlight that inventors should publicly and promptly disclose their inventions, as a secret sale will not suffice as a disclosure, and file their patent applications within a year of public disclosure, say Sean Murray and Jeremiah Helm at Knobbe Martens.

  • Employer Arbitration Lessons From Calif. Consumer Ruling

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    Although a California state appeals court’s recent arbitration ruling in Mahram v. Kroger involved a consumer transaction, the finding that the arbitration agreement at issue did not apply to a third-party beneficiary could influence how employment arbitration agreements are interpreted, says Sander van der Heide at CDF Labor Law.

  • Why Attorneys Should Consider Community Leadership Roles

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    Volunteering and nonprofit board service are complementary to, but distinct from, traditional pro bono work, and taking on these community leadership roles can produce dividends for lawyers, their firms and the nonprofit causes they support, says Katie Beacham at Kilpatrick.

  • Firms Must Offer A Trifecta Of Services In Post-Chevron World

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    After the U.S. Supreme Court’s Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo decision overturning Chevron deference, law firms will need to integrate litigation, lobbying and communications functions to keep up with the ramifications of the ruling and provide adequate counsel quickly, says Neil Hare at Dentons.

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