Food & Beverage

  • January 13, 2025

    McDonald's Sued Over College Scholarship For Latinos

    The same organization that successfully sued Harvard University over its affirmative action policies targeted McDonald's with a lawsuit in Tennessee federal court Sunday over its Latino scholarship program, arguing it violates a federal statute governing equal rights under the law.

  • January 13, 2025

    They Don't Do IP Like That In Europe, Justices Told

    The U.S. manufacturing lobby has told the U.S. Supreme Court that a recent Federal Circuit decision that wiped out patents covering an artificial sweetener used in Coke Zero is inconsistent with patent laws in Europe, China and other Asian countries. 

  • January 13, 2025

    Trump Taps Gibson Dunn Partner For EPA's No. 2 Post

    President-elect Donald Trump said he intends to nominate David Fotouhi, a partner at Gibson Dunn & Crutcher LLP, to serve in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's No. 2 post during his administration.

  • January 13, 2025

    Acting USPTO Chief Won't Review Seed IP Challenge Denial

    The acting leader of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office shot down a bid by a Cambridge, Massachusetts, gene-editing startup to review decisions rejecting its challenges to patents covering purportedly novel corn seeds developed by a unit of DowDuPont spin-off Corteva.

  • January 13, 2025

    Moroccan Fertilizer Co. Takes US To Task Over Duty Probe

    A Moroccan fertilizer company pushed to undo a 16.6% countervailing duty on its products Monday, alleging that the U.S. Department of Commerce made a litany of errors in determining that Moroccan government subsidies gave the company an unfair advantage in the U.S. market.

  • January 13, 2025

    Justices Won't Hear Farming Partnership's Crop Policy Fight

    The U.S. Supreme Court refused Monday to review a Ninth Circuit decision backing the Federal Crop Insurance Corp.'s conclusion that a farming partnership seeking to recover its $1.9 million policy limit didn't qualify for coverage.

  • January 13, 2025

    Houston Jury Clears Austin Whiskey Maker In Landry TM Row

    A Texas state court jury ruled Monday that an Austin whiskey company's use of the "Landry" name did not cause a likelihood of confusion with a conglomerate of hospitality brands owned by Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta.

  • January 13, 2025

    Feds Say NC Medical Biz Owner Overbilled For Nutrient Drinks

    A North Carolina businessman who ran a durable medical equipment business under multiple names overbilled the state's Medicaid program $1.85 million for special enteral nutritional formulas used to treat inherited metabolic disorders when he was actually just providing people common nutritional shakes like Ensure, the federal government said.

  • January 13, 2025

    Supreme Court Turns Away IP Safe Harbor Dispute

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday said it won't consider whether the Federal Circuit has overexpanded a safe harbor for drug development, in litigation where Meril Life Sciences escaped allegations that it infringed Edwards Lifesciences' heart valve patents.

  • January 13, 2025

    High Court Skips 9th Circ. Sesame Oil TM Decision

    The U.S. Supreme Court said Monday it would not consider an India-based sesame oil company's challenge to a Ninth Circuit opinion siding against it in its trademark infringement case against a New Jersey business.

  • January 13, 2025

    Justices Reject Utah's Effort To Wrest Land From Feds

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected Utah's claims that the federal government is stifling economic activity in the state by unconstitutionally hoarding and profiting from public lands.

  • January 10, 2025

    Landry's Resorted To 'Nasty' Tactics In TM Row, Jury Told

    An attorney for a Texas whiskey-maker told a Houston jury Friday that lawyers for Landry's LLC used "nasty" tactics as he urged the panel to rule that his client hadn't ripped off the name of the restaurant and entertainment conglomerate.

  • January 10, 2025

    Fla. Bank Sues Cargill Over $18M In Fraudulent Transfers

    A Florida bank is suing food company Cargill Inc. over more than $18 million in transfers the bank thought were going to a Miami-based coffee company with which it had a credit agreement and that was in a precarious financial position after suffering "catastrophic" losses trading in the coffee market.

  • January 10, 2025

    Hog Supplier's Contract Tussle With Smithfield OK'd For Trial

    A former hog supplier in North Carolina can take some of its breach of contract claims to trial in a lawsuit alleging Smithfield Foods Inc.'s pricing practices were a death knell for the supplier's swine operations, according to a newly unsealed state Business Court opinion.

  • January 10, 2025

    FDA Issues Infant Formula Safety Strategy

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday sent out a strategy to boost the resiliency of the country's infant formula market in the wake of a 2022 recall and the aftermath of a shortage of baby formula.

  • January 10, 2025

    Feds Ask 15 Years For Menendez In Case Of 'Historical Rarity'

    Prosecutors have asked a Manhattan federal judge to sentence former U.S. Sen. Robert Menendez to at least 15 years in prison after he was convicted of taking bribes from three New Jersey business executives in exchange for political favors.

  • January 09, 2025

    Wonderful Pistachios Defeats Worker's Shed-Trapping Appeal

    A California appellate court on Thursday refused to resurrect a former Wonderful Pistachios & Almonds worker's claims that former colleagues of hers trapped her in a shed during work, finding that her objections to an arbitrator's determinations in Wonderful Pistachios' favor lack merit.

  • January 09, 2025

    Kroger Drops FTC Constitutionality Fight After Nixed Merger

    Kroger on Thursday voluntarily dismissed its case challenging the constitutionality of the Federal Trade Commission's in-house court, after the agency dropped its administrative case targeting the grocery chain's abandoned deal for Albertsons.

  • January 09, 2025

    Whiskey Maker Says 'Landry' Name Use 'Isn't Just About Me'

    The owner of a whiskey company accused of ripping off the name used by a host of hospitality brands owned by Houston billionaire Tilman Fertitta testified that he started his company with the honest belief that the name "Landry" was available for use for liquor sales.

  • January 09, 2025

    Grocers Say Nothing Left To Fight In Colo. Merger Challenge

    Kroger and Albertsons told a Denver District Court that the state's challenge to its merger should be dismissed now that the deal is dead, arguing in a motion that the state always knew that decisions in other lawsuits could render its claim moot.

  • January 09, 2025

    Ark. Cites 4th Circ. Ruling In Dispute Over Hemp THC Limit

    Arkansas is pointing the Eighth Circuit's judges toward an opinion earlier this week from their colleagues in the Fourth Circuit, saying they should consider it as they mull whether to allow the state's regulations on intoxicating hemp products to stand.

  • January 09, 2025

    AFL-CIO, SEIU Promise Expanded Power With Reaffiliation

    The AFL-CIO and the Service Employees International Union announced that they are reaffiliating nearly 20 years after the service workers union split from the labor federation, with leaders of both groups promising the renewed partnership will help the labor movement reach more workers.

  • January 09, 2025

    SharkNinja Customer Sues For $3.75M After Blender Explodes

    A woman who was nearly blinded when her Ninja brand blender "exploded" claimed SharkNinja's design of the appliance was defective in a complaint transferred to Michigan federal court this week.

  • January 09, 2025

    UK Supermarkets Fear Higher Costs Amid Tax Changes

    Supermarket companies Marks & Spencer and Tesco reported Thursday that they had high sales figures due to Christmas, but both retailers also said they expect to face higher tax costs in 2025 due to changes to National Insurance, a payroll tax used to fund social programs.

  • January 09, 2025

    Beer Sales Rep Can't Show Lasting Harm From Noncompete

    A former Boston Beer Co. sales employee challenging a one-year noncompete agreement has failed to show how she will suffer irreparable harm without a preliminary injunction, a Massachusetts federal judge ruled Wednesday, saying any damages are "readily calculable" if she ultimately wins the case.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    After Chevron: Expect Few Changes In ITC Rulemaking

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Supreme Court's opinion overruling the Chevron doctrine will have less impact on the U.S. International Trade Commission than other agencies administering trade statutes, given that the commission exercises its congressionally granted authority in a manner that allows for consistent decision making at both agency and judicial levels, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • Opinion

    Atty Well-Being Efforts Ignore Root Causes Of The Problem

    Author Photo

    The legal industry is engaged in a critical conversation about lawyers' mental health, but current attorney well-being programs primarily focus on helping lawyers cope with the stress of excessive workloads, instead of examining whether this work culture is even fundamentally compatible with lawyer well-being, says Jonathan Baum at Avenir Guild.

  • How Cannabis Rescheduling May Affect Current Operators

    Author Photo

    The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency's proposal to reschedule marijuana to Schedule III provides relief in the form of federal policy from the stigma and burdens of Schedule I, but commercial cannabis operations will remain unchanged until the federal-state cannabis policy gap is remedied by Congress, say Meital Manzuri and Alexis Lazzeri at Manzuri Law.

  • Series

    Skiing And Surfing Make Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    The skills I’ve learned while riding waves in the ocean and slopes in the mountains have translated to my legal career — developing strong mentor relationships, remaining calm in difficult situations, and being prepared and able to move to a backup plan when needed, says Brian Claassen at Knobbe Martens.

  • Unpacking The Circuit Split Over A Federal Atty Fee Rule

    Author Photo

    Federal circuit courts that have addressed Rule 41(d) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure are split as to whether attorney fees are included as part of the costs of a previously dismissed action, so practitioners aiming to recover or avoid fees should tailor arguments to the appropriate court, says Joseph Myles and Lionel Lavenue at Finnegan.

  • A Look At Calif. Contract Considerations In Fiji Water Ruling

    Author Photo

    A California appellate court's recent decision in Carolina Beverage v. Fiji Water, that a party may not seek contractual recovery on the basis of constructive termination, offers a look at contract construction and other considerations on negotiating distribution agreements, says Michael Laszlo at Clark Hill.

  • After A Brief Hiccup, The 'Rocket Docket' Soars Back To No. 1

    Author Photo

    The Eastern District of Virginia’s precipitous 2022 fall from its storied rocket docket status appears to have been a temporary aberration, as recent statistics reveal that the court is once again back on top as the fastest federal civil trial court in the nation, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • Recruitment Trends In Emerging Law Firm Frontiers

    Author Photo

    BigLaw firms are facing local recruitment challenges as they increasingly establish offices in cities outside of the major legal hubs, requiring them to weigh various strategies for attracting talent that present different risks and benefits, says Tom Hanlon at Buchanan Law.

  • How Uyghur Forced Labor Law Affects Importing Companies

    Author Photo

    Amid a growing focus on forced labor in supply chains and a likely increase in enforcement under the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act, companies may face costly import delays unless they develop and implement compliance best practices, say Thad McBride and Lauren Gammer at Bass Berry.

  • Series

    Glassblowing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

    Author Photo

    I never expected that glassblowing would strongly influence my work as an attorney, but it has taught me the importance of building a solid foundation for your work, learning from others and committing to a lifetime of practice, says Margaret House at Kalijarvi Chuzi.

  • Best Practices For Chemical Transparency In Supply Chains

    Author Photo

    A flurry of new and forthcoming regulations in different jurisdictions that require disclosure of potentially hazardous substances used in companies' products and processes will require businesses to take proactive steps to build chemical transparency into their supply chains, and engage robustly and systematically with vendors, says Jillian Stacy at Enhesa.

  • How Associates Can Build A Professional Image

    Author Photo

    As hybrid work arrangements become the norm in the legal industry, early-career attorneys must be proactive in building and maintaining a professional presence in both physical and digital settings, ensuring that their image aligns with their long-term career goals, say Lana Manganiello at Equinox Strategy Partners and Estelle Winsett at Estelle Winsett Professional Image Consulting.

  • Firms Must Rethink How They Train New Lawyers In AI Age

    Author Photo

    As law firms begin to use generative artificial intelligence to complete lower-level legal tasks, they’ll need to consider new ways to train summer associates and early-career attorneys, keeping in mind the five stages of skill acquisition, says Liisa Thomas at Sheppard Mullin.

  • Think Like A Lawyer: Always Be Closing

    Author Photo

    When a lawyer presents their case with the right propulsive structure throughout trial, there is little need for further argument after the close of evidence — and in fact, rehashing it all may test jurors’ patience — so attorneys should consider other strategies for closing arguments, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.

  • How A Bumblebee Got Under Calif. Wildlife Regulator's Bonnet

    Author Photo

    A California bumblebee's listing as an endangered species could lead to a regulatory quagmire as California Department of Fish and Wildlife permits now routinely include survey requirements for the bee, but the regulator has yet to determine what the species needs for conservation, says David Smith at Manatt.

Want to publish in Law360?


Submit an idea

Have a news tip?


Contact us here
Can't find the article you're looking for? Click here to search the Food & Beverage archive.
Hello! I'm Law360's automated support bot.

How can I help you today?

For example, you can type:
  • I forgot my password
  • I took a free trial but didn't get a verification email
  • How do I sign up for a newsletter?
Ask a question!