Food & Beverage

  • March 12, 2025

    Publix Policies Don't Cover Opioid Claims, Court Says

    Insurers for Publix have no duty to defend or indemnify the supermarket chain in dozens of public nuisance lawsuits related to the opioid crisis, a Florida federal court said Wednesday, following Publix's renewed request that the court enter a final judgment so it could proceed with appeal.

  • March 12, 2025

    Justices Face Renewed Calls To Nix Mass. Wind Farm Permits

    Fishing industry groups have asked the U.S. Supreme Court to undo federal approvals of the Vineyard Wind project off the Massachusetts coast, less than two months after the justices declined to consider another legal challenge by project opponents.

  • March 12, 2025

    Texas Urges Court Not To Let DuPont Out Of PFAS Lawsuit

    Chemical companies DuPont and Corteva are leaning on a "fraudulent transfer scheme" in order to exit a lawsuit accusing them of making and selling forever chemicals despite knowing about their toxic nature, the state of Texas said Tuesday, urging a federal court not to give them the out.

  • March 12, 2025

    Starbucks' Sourcing Aided $1.3B Low-Tax Profits, Report Says

    Starbucks leveraged its private certification program for coffee growers to boost profits transferred almost tax-free from Switzerland to the Netherlands to the U.K., amounting to an estimated $1.3 billion between 2011 and 2021, according to a report from a union-funded nonprofit organization.

  • March 12, 2025

    Uber Drops $950M Foodpanda Buy Over Regulatory Issues

    German food delivery platform Delivery Hero SE has confirmed that ride-sharing giant Uber Technologies Inc. has decided to terminate its agreement to acquire Delivery Hero's Taiwanese Foodpanda for $950 million, citing regulatory hurdles.

  • March 12, 2025

    Chipwich Maker Blames Broker For $4.5M Recall Loss

    The maker of Chipwich ice cream sandwiches told a Connecticut state court that its broker negligently failed to secure product recall insurance, causing a preventable loss of $4.5 million to the company, after desserts were destroyed because of potential listeria contamination.

  • March 12, 2025

    Kroger Waited Too Long To Seek Sanctions, Judge Says

    An Illinois federal judge on Wednesday denied Kroger's bid to sanction prolific consumer advocate lawyer Spencer Sheehan for filing a meritless suit over the effectiveness of its lidocaine patches, saying the amount of time it took to file the motion "is not reasonable by any stretch of the imagination."

  • March 12, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Finds No Confusion Between Firebull, Fireball TMs

    The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board correctly found there is no likelihood of confusion between a distillery's pending bid to register Bullshine Firebull and Sazerac Brands' Fireball marks, the Federal Circuit said in a precedential opinion Wednesday that also affirmed the board's conclusion that Fireball is not generic.

  • March 11, 2025

    6th Circ. Ends Group's Challenge To Great Lakes Fishing Pact

    The Sixth Circuit on Tuesday rejected a nonprofit's challenge to a pact between Native American tribes and the state of Michigan for allegedly lacking guardrails to prevent overfishing in the Great Lakes, finding it lacked jurisdiction since the nonprofit never intervened in the case and only filed amicus curiae briefs.

  • March 11, 2025

    Ex-USPTO Head Can't Be Expert In Walmart IP Fight, Co. Says

    A startup suing Walmart over trade secrets connected to shelf-freshness technology wants an Arkansas federal court to block the retailer from retaining former U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director Kathi Vidal as an expert when the $115 million case moves forward to a retrial.

  • March 11, 2025

    Origin Brass Face Investor Suit Over Factory Delay Disclosure

    Executives and directors of sustainable chemical manufacturer Origin Materials have been hit with a shareholder's derivative suit alleging that they concealed a three-year construction delay affecting a production facility the company was building that increased company costs and altered relationships with its customers, including Pepsi.

  • March 11, 2025

    Wendy's, Target Accused Of Infringing Online Ordering Patent

    Target and a group of chain restaurants including Wendy's, Applebee's and the Cheesecake Factory were hit with patent infringement lawsuits in Texas federal courts on Monday by Smart Order LLC, which accused them of infringing a patent covering a customer internet ordering system.

  • March 11, 2025

    Girl Scouts Cookies Contain Unsafe Lead Levels Suit Says

    Cookies sold by the Girl Scouts — including the bestselling Thin Mints, Caramel deLites and Peanut Butter Patties — were tainted with heavy metals and pesticides, according to a New York federal lawsuit that leans on independent laboratory testing of the baked goods.

  • March 11, 2025

    Trade Court Affirms Use Of Indian Data For Catfish Duties

    The U.S. Court of International Trade upheld the Department of Commerce's decision to use Indian data over Indonesian data to determine antidumping duties for Vietnamese catfish, despite protests to the contrary from the Catfish Farmers of America.

  • March 11, 2025

    DOJ, Wayne-Sanderson Spar Over Data Sharing Deal

    The U.S. Department of Justice told a Maryland federal court that Wayne-Sanderson Farms is continuing to share wage information despite a settlement over the practice, while the poultry producer argued that it does not exchange any competitively sensitive information.

  • March 11, 2025

    Vegan Co. Huel Hit With Class Action Over Quality Of Protein

    Vegan meal and supplement company Huel Ltd. misled consumers into thinking its protein powders were made with high-quality protein when in reality it's made with inferior ingredients that can't be digested as easily, according to a proposed class action filed in California federal court by a health-minded San Jose resident.

  • March 11, 2025

    Post Hit With False Ad Suit Over Rachael Ray Brand Pet Food

    Post sells celebrity chef Rachael Ray's Nutrish brand of pet foods that are falsely labeled as being "natural" with "no artificial preservatives" despite containing citric acid, which is derived from heavy chemical processing, according to a proposed class action filed in California federal court Monday.

  • March 11, 2025

    Conservationists Sue FWS Over 'Blanket' Species Rule

    Two conservation groups are suing the U.S. Department of the Interior in Montana federal court over an Endangered Species Act rule they say illegally gives the government power to indiscriminately restrict landowners' use of their property.

  • March 11, 2025

    Dairy Farmers File Class Claims Over 'Defective' Auto-Milker

    Three farming technology companies were hit with proposed class claims in Pennsylvania state court by farmers alleging they deceptively marketed a defective automatic milking system that fell below performance standards, leading to the harm or death of cows in some cases.

  • March 11, 2025

    FTC Defends Southern Glazer's Pricing Case

    The Federal Trade Commission is defending its price discrimination case against alcohol distributor Southern Glazer's, telling a California federal judge Monday that the company's move to dismiss the suit "misapprehends applicable case law, ignores key allegations, and overstates the factual detail required of the pleading standard."

  • March 11, 2025

    Couche-Tard Knocks 7-Eleven Strategy In Push For Takeover

    Alimentation Couche-Tard Inc. is doubling down on its commitment to acquire 7-Eleven parent company Seven & i Holdings Co., criticizing the Japanese retail giant's latest strategic plans for a U.S. IPO and its "limited" engagement on Couche-Tard's buyout efforts. 

  • March 10, 2025

    Whole Foods Workers Can't Have Class Cert. In Bonus Suit

    A Washington, D.C., federal judge Monday refused to certify a class of past and present Whole Foods employees who accuse the grocery chain of gaming its employee bonus program, saying there are too many individualized questions to resolve the plaintiffs' claims on a classwide basis.

  • March 10, 2025

    Starbucks Faces Suit Over Fatal Patio Crash After Panel Flip

    Starbucks owed a duty of reasonable care to a patron who was struck by a rogue pickup truck while sitting on the patio of a Salt Lake City area store, the Utah Court of Appeals has ruled, reviving her family's lawsuit against the Seattle-based coffee company.

  • March 10, 2025

    Starbucks Owes Up To $125M For Hot Water Burns, Jury Told

    Starbucks should pay as much as $125 million for permanent disfigurement to a takeout driver that "changed who he is as a person," a jury heard Monday, after finding last week that the coffee giant was to blame for the spill of scalding water.

  • March 10, 2025

    USCIS To Allow Grace Period For Immigration Form Changes

    U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said it will provide a grace period before newly revised forms with only male and female gender options go into effect, a day after immigration lawyers filed a lawsuit challenging the abrupt policy change.

Expert Analysis

  • How Trump 2.0 May Change Business In Latin America

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    Companies in Latin America should expect to face more trade restrictions, tighter economic sanctions and enhanced corruption risks, as the incoming administration shifts focus to certain non-U.S. actors, most notably China, says Matteson Ellis at Miller & Chevalier.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Rulings On Custodian Selection

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    Several recent rulings make clear that the proportionality of additional proposed custodians will depend on whether the custodians have unique relevant documents, and producing parties should consider whether information already in the record will show that they have relevant documents that otherwise might not be produced, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Surprise NC COVID Ruling Revises Reasonable Expectations

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    The North Carolina Supreme Court's recent finding in favor of policyholders in a suit for business interruption coverage due to COVID-19 shutdown orders runs contrary to most other state and federal courts' holdings on the issue, and may revitalize the reasonable expectations doctrine in the state, say attorneys at Goldberg Segalla.

  • Complying With Seasonal Product Labeling Requirements

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    Though the holiday season is in the rearview, many seasonal alcohol products remain in the market, and producers should ensure that their labels comply with the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau's additional requirements for such products, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • Series

    Exercising On My Peloton Bike Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    While I originally came to the Peloton bike for exercise, one cycling instructor’s teachings have come to serve as a road map for practicing law thoughtfully and mindfully, which has opened opportunities for growth and change in my career, says Andrea Kirshenbaum at Littler.

  • 5 Drug And Device Developments That Shaped 2024

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    The last year saw significant legal developments affecting drug and device manufacturers, with landmark decisions and regulatory changes that require vigilance and agility from the industry, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • How To Manage During A Trade Dispute With USMCA Partners

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    Companies can try to minimize the potential impacts of future tariffs on Mexican and Canadian goods, and uncertainty about future trade relations, by evaluating supply chains, considering how they may be modified, and engaging with the new administration over exemptions and the upcoming review of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Exploring Venue Strategy For Trump-Era Regulatory Litigation

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    Litigation will likely play a prominent role in shaping policy outcomes during the second Trump administration, and stakeholders have several tools at their disposal to steer regulatory litigation toward more favorable venues, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Product Safety Issues In 2024 Highlight Need For Vigilance

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    A look at some of the medications and foods that led to significant class actions last year demonstrates the need for robust regulatory systems and proactive measures to protect consumers from defective and harmful products, says Jennifer Taylor at the Law Offices of James Scott Farrin.

  • Lessons Learned From 2024's Top ADA Decisions

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    Last year's major litigation related to the Americans with Disabilities Act highlights that when dealing with accommodation requests, employers must communicate clearly, appreciate context and remain flexible in addressing needs, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Series

    Playing Esports Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Competing in a global esports tournament at Wimbledon last year not only fulfilled my childhood dream, but also sharpened skills that are essential to my day job, including strategic thinking, confidence and networking, says AJ Schuyler at Jackson Lewis.

  • The 6 Most Significant FCRA Litigation Developments Of 2024

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    From a key sovereign immunity decision at the U.S. Supreme Court to a ruling on creditworthiness out of the Seventh Circuit, several important Fair Credit Reporting Act cases wound their way through the courts in 2024, each offering takeaways for both plaintiffs and defendants, say attorneys at Shipkevich.

  • An Associate's Guide To Career Development In 2025

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    As the new year begins, associates at all levels should consider establishing career metrics, fostering key relationships and employing other specific strategies to help move through the complexities of the legal profession with confidence and emerge as trailblazers, say EJ Stern and Amanda George at Fractional Law Firm.

  • Series

    Fixing Up Cars Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    From problem-solving to patience and adaptability to organization, the skills developed working under the hood of a car directly translate to being a more effective lawyer, says Christopher Mdeway at Kaufman Dolowich.

  • 2024's Most Notable FTC Actions Against Dark Patterns And AI

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    In 2024 the Federal Trade Commission ramped up enforcement actions related to dark patterns, loudly signaling its concern that advertisers will use AI to manipulate consumer habits and its intention to curb businesses' use and marketing of AI to prevent alleged consumer deception, say attorneys at Goodwin.

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