Food & Beverage

  • May 23, 2024

    DOL Says 11th Circ. 'Alone' In ERISA Internal Remedy Stance

    The U.S. Department of Labor urged the Eleventh Circuit to reinstate a lawsuit from former seafood company workers who claimed their employee stock ownership plan was overcharged in a $92 million deal, saying they didn't jump the gun by suing instead of pursuing claims internally.

  • May 23, 2024

    5th Circ. Won't Fast-Track Challenge To DOL's OT Rule

    The Fifth Circuit won't speed up a Dairy Queen franchisee's challenge to the U.S. Department of Labor's decision to increase the salary threshold for a Fair Labor Standards Act overtime exemption, turning down the entity and its owner's bid to expedite the appeal.

  • May 23, 2024

    Linklaters Leads Tate & Lyle To Exit US JV For $350M

    Food producer Tate & Lyle said Thursday that it has agreed to sell its remaining stake in its ingredients business in the Americas to U.S. investment firm KPS Capital Partners for $350 million in a deal guided by Linklaters LLP.

  • May 22, 2024

    Conn. Judge Doubts Restaurant's Insurance Beef Is Stale

    Connecticut's chief intermediate appellate court judge appeared skeptical Wednesday of Liberty Mutual Insurance Co.'s position that a restaurant is barred from suing over the denial of coverage for a worker's hand injury, suggesting that previous litigation over the worker's compensation policy has no bearing on the current suit. 

  • May 22, 2024

    5th Circ. Reopens Black Diner's Bias Suit Against Texas Chili's

    The Fifth Circuit on Wednesday revived a Black diner's suit against Chili's alleging she was denied a table that was later offered to her white fiancé, finding direct evidence of discrimination, including the hostess's apology for discriminating against her, and the lack of service once her group was seated.

  • May 22, 2024

    Paul Hastings Leads Kayne Anderson Unit's $100M IPO

    An affiliate of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors has announced it raised roughly $100 million in an initial public offering, with Paul Hastings LLP advising the company and Ropes & Gray LLP representing the underwriters, joining a handful of similar specialty investment vehicles that have gone public in 2024.

  • May 22, 2024

    Justices' CFPB Alliance May Save SEC Courts, Not Chevron

    A four-justice concurrence to the U.S. Supreme Court's decision upholding the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's unique funding scheme last week carries implications for other cases pending before the court that challenge the so-called administrative state, or the permanent cadre of regulatory agencies and career government enforcers who hold sway over vast swaths of American economic life.

  • May 22, 2024

    Boies Urges Judge To Rethink Precedential Cannabis Case

    Attorney David Boies, representing a group of cannabis companies challenging federal marijuana prohibition, told a Massachusetts federal judge Wednesday that his clients' case should proceed because a U.S. Supreme Court case governing marijuana policy is out of date.

  • May 22, 2024

    DuPont 'Document Dump' Rattles NC In PFAS Suit

    North Carolina and DuPont on Wednesday battled over what the state called a roughly 5 million-page "document dump" ahead of a looming June 3 discovery deadline in its contamination lawsuit, irking a business court judge in the process.

  • May 22, 2024

    Tennessee DA, PD Sued Over $1.35M Seizure Of Legal Hemp

    A Tennessee hemp seller and a wholesaler are suing the city of Spring Hill, its police department and a prosecutor, saying they illegally seized $1.35 million in legal hemp under the belief that it's the "same damn thing" as illegal cannabis.

  • May 22, 2024

    Honeywell Rival Sues To Ward Off 'Meritless' Litigation Threat

    A Japanese manufacturer is suing to put a stop to what it described as an "aggressive threat of litigation" by Honeywell International Inc. in the conglomerate's long-running crusade to protect its patents for barcode scanners, calling Honeywell's latest claim "unwarranted and meritless."

  • May 22, 2024

    Commerce Lifts Xanthan Gum Duty That Trade Court Rebuked

    The U.S. Department of Commerce reluctantly erased anti-dumping duties on Chinese xanthan gum after being twice rebuked by the U.S. Court of International Trade for penalizing a company with higher duties based on issues with its sales data.

  • May 21, 2024

    Pacific Seafood Beats Crab Price-Fixing Claims, For Now

    A California federal magistrate judge on Tuesday dismissed a proposed class action claiming Pacific Seafood fixed the price paid to fishers for Dungeness crab in the Pacific Northwest but will allow the fisherman who filed the suit the opportunity to amend most of his claims.

  • May 21, 2024

    Calif. Justices Mull COVID-19 Business Interruption Coverage

    Counsel for Sentinel Insurance urged the California Supreme Court on Wednesday to reverse an appellate court's finding that a San Francisco restaurant's policy covered COVID-19 business interruption losses, disputing that court's finding that the policy's promise of virus coverage would otherwise be "illusory." 

  • May 21, 2024

    9th Circ. Vacates, Remands Tribe's Fishing Rights Dispute

    A Ninth Circuit panel said Tuesday that a challenge by a Washington tribe seeking to expand its fishing rights warrants further review, arguing that a lower court's ruling that a 19th century treaty did not include its accustomed grounds should be vacated and remanded to examine evidence of its village, presence and activities in the claimed waters. 

  • May 21, 2024

    Calif. Justices Doubt App-Based Drivers' Prop 22 Challenge

    Several California Supreme Court justices pushed back Tuesday against arguments by ride-hailing drivers that the Proposition 22 ballot measure carving out certain app-based workers from a worker classification law unconstitutionally runs afoul of the Legislature's authority, with one justice saying their position could "freeze out" voter-approved initiatives.

  • May 21, 2024

    Foxwoods Restaurant Servers Win Class Cert. in Wage Feud

    A Connecticut state court judge has granted certification to a class of tipped workers in their wage-and-hour suit against a steakhouse at the Foxwoods Resort Casino, ruling they have plausibly shown that the restaurant failed to pay them a fair wage under state law.

  • May 21, 2024

    Molson Coors' Mimosas More Water Than Wine, Suit Says

    Two consumers hit Molson Coors Beverage Co. with a proposed class action Monday in Missouri federal court, alleging that the company's mimosa drinks are misbranded because they are not made with sparkling wine but rather made with sparkling water and sugar and contain only small amounts of orange juice.

  • May 21, 2024

    Va. Judge Ships Splenda IP Suit Against Peet's To Calif.

    A Virginia federal judge has agreed to ship a lawsuit accusing Peet's Coffee Inc. of breaching trademark laws across the country to California federal court, finding that the companies that brought the claims aren't connected enough to the Old Dominion.

  • May 21, 2024

    Red Lobster Gets OK To Tap $40M Ch. 11 Loan

    A Florida bankruptcy judge Tuesday gave seafood chain Red Lobster interim permission to draw on $40 million in Chapter 11 financing the company says is necessary to keep its restaurants running while it seeks a sale.

  • May 21, 2024

    GAO Denies Sysco's Protest Of Up-To $126M Subsistence Deal

    The U.S. Government Accountability Office denied a Sysco unit's protest of an up-to $126 million defense subsistence supply deal, saying the company failed to show the Defense Logistics Agency had to consider the awardee's performance on a similar interim deal.

  • May 21, 2024

    22 States Tell 11th Circ. Corp. Transparency Act Goes Too Far

    The federal Corporate Transparency Act unconstitutionally displaces state authority and its enforcement would economically harm states and their residents, attorneys general from 22 states told the Eleventh Circuit, urging it to uphold a ruling that struck down the law.

  • May 21, 2024

    Tuna Buyers Seeking $1B In July Price-Fixing Trial

    Tuna buyers who are taking StarKist, its parent company and a private investment firm that put money into Bumble Bee Foods to trial on allegations of conspiring to hike the price of the tinned fish will be asking for over $1 billion in damages once all is said and done.

  • May 21, 2024

    Some DOL Informers To Be Disclosed In Fishery Wage Case

    A Mississippi federal judge ordered the U.S. Department of Labor to disclose the identities of migrant workers with knowledge of a fishery's alleged interference with a DOL investigation or of allegations the fishery retaliated against workers cooperating in the probe.

  • May 21, 2024

    3rd Suit Alleges Panera's 'Charged' Drink Caused Heart Attack

    An 18-year-old man sued Panera Bread Co. in Pennsylvania federal court Monday alleging its highly caffeinated "Charged Lemonade" drink caused him to suffer a heart attack, at least the third such suit filed against the franchise over the now-discontinued beverage. 

Expert Analysis

  • What Cos. Should Know About FTC's Proposed Junk Fee Rule

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    The Federal Trade Commission recently announced a notice of proposed rulemaking targeting junk fees and how businesses may advertise prices to consumers — and since it would give the agency powers to seek monetary penalties against businesses that do not comply, companies should look to get ahead now, say Phyllis Marcus and Nicole Johnson at Hunton Andrews.

  • AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier

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    Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World

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    As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: South Korea

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    Numerous ESG trends have materialized in South Korea in the past three years, with impacts ranging from greenwashing prevention and carbon neutrality measures to workplace harassment and board diversity initiatives, say Chang Wook Min and Hyun Chan Jung at Jipyong.

  • Employer Takeaways From 2nd Circ. Equal Pay Ruling

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    The Second Circuit 's recent decision in Eisenhauer v. Culinary Institute of America reversed a long-held understanding of the Equal Pay Act, ultimately making it easier for employers to defend against equal pay claims brought under federal law, but it is not a clear escape hatch for employers, say Thelma Akpan and Katelyn McCombs at Littler.

  • General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI

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    With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.

  • Rite Aid's Reasons For Ch. 11 Go Beyond Opioid Suits

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    Despite opioid-related lawsuits being the perceived reason that pushed Rite Aid into bankruptcy, the company's recent Chapter 11 filing reveals its tenuous position in the pharmaceutical retail market, and only time will tell whether bankruptcy will right-size the company, says Daniel Gielchinsky at DGIM Law.

  • Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.

  • Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD

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    Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • How Fla. Bankruptcy Ruling May Affect Equity Owners

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    A Florida bankruptcy court’s recent ruling in Vital Pharmaceuticals — which rejected the Third Circuit’s Majestic Star decision that determined a bankrupt corporation’s flow-through status was not protected by the automatic stay — may significantly affect how equity owners can mitigate the impact of flow-through structures in bankruptcy, say Eric Behl-Remijan and Natasha Hwangpo at Ropes & Gray.

  • M&A Ruling Buoys Loss Calculation Method, R&W Insurance

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    The recent Southern District of New York decision in Taylor Precision Products v. Larimer affirms the use of EBITDA as a basis to quantify loss, highlighting the potential shortcomings of a traditional seller indemnity compared to representation and warranty insurance, say Mark Schwartz at Lockton, and William O’Neil and Gretchen Scavo at Winston & Strawn.

  • How Consumer Complaints Can Help Companies

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    As seen most recently in Zoom's terms of service controversy, consumer complaints — despite initially seeming troubling for companies — can offer businesses the opportunity to identify, tackle and resolve budding challenges before those challenges escalate into larger issues, say Meghan Stoppel and Hannah Cornett at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Opinion

    Life Sciences Regulators Must Write Cloud-Specific Guidance

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    As cloud services continue to revolutionize the life sciences industry's ability to conduct regulated activities, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulators should update their data management policies to clearly support and encourage use of cloud technology, say Nate Brown and Marlee Gallant at Akin.

  • Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence

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    Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Analyzing The Legal Ripples Of The EPA's PFAS Regulation

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    As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency makes major moves on its pledge to regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, the developing body of PFAS regulation will lead to an increase in litigation, and personal injury and product liability claims, say attorneys at Gordon & Rees.

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