Food & Beverage

  • April 08, 2026

    Abbott Urges Ill. Jury To Reject Claims Formula Led To NEC

    Counsel for Abbott Laboratories told an Illinois jury Wednesday that four infants, whose mothers allege the company's preterm baby formula caused their serious intestinal illness, would have developed the disease "even without a drop of formula" given other risk factors and that the absence of other feeding options at the time of the babies' births dooms their parents' claims.

  • April 08, 2026

    Texas Hemp Interests Say New THC Rule Defies Legislature

    A group of Texas hemp interests is suing state officials to halt implementation of new regulations restricting the sale of certain hemp products, alleging that the policy unlawfully sidestepped the authority of state lawmakers.

  • April 08, 2026

    MatchaBar Sold Lower-Grade Tea As 'Ceremonial,' Suit Says

    A matcha powder by MatchaBar Inc. is falsely marketed as "ceremonial grade" worthy of a Japanese tea ceremony despite independent testing by an expert showing the product actually exhibits "bitterness and astringency in taste," making it unlikely for formal ceremonies, according to a proposed class action by two consumers.

  • April 08, 2026

    Stella Rosa Maker Sues Texas Rival Over 'Rosa 32' Name

    San Antonio Winery hit a Houston-based family-owned beverage company with a trademark infringement suit in Texas federal court on Tuesday, contesting its use of "Rosa 32" in connection with its wines, which is confusingly similar to the plaintiff's "Rosa 22" digestif that is part of its famed Stella Rosa collection.

  • April 07, 2026

    11th Circ. Reinstates Ex-Pepsi Worker's Title VII Race Bias Suit

    The Eleventh Circuit on Tuesday revived a Black former Pepsi-Cola Bottling Co. employee's suit alleging he was fired for complaining about racist harassment, saying the lower court relied too heavily on a long-established legal framework for analyzing workplace bias evidence when dismissing his case.

  • April 07, 2026

    Keurig's K-Cup Pods Are Largely Unrecyclable, Suit Says

    Keurig Dr Pepper was hit with a proposed class action in California federal court Tuesday alleging that it misleads consumers into believing that its single-serve plastic coffee pods are recyclable despite the fact that most recycling centers in the country don't accept them due to their size, irregular shape and other characteristics.

  • April 07, 2026

    Wash. Panel Nixes Insurer's Gordon Rees Malpractice Claims

    A Washington Court of Appeals panel said a Great American insurance unit can't inherit an equipment manufacturer's legal malpractice claims against Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani LLP and Sinars Slowikowski LLC because of "potential conflict" between the insurer and manufacturer in the underlying dispute over a climber's fall.

  • April 07, 2026

    Squires Panel To Rehear Herd Management Patent Invalidation

    U.S. Patent and Trademark Office Director John Squires has convened a rehearing panel to reconsider whether a Patent Trial and Review Board decision that invalidated an animal management patent had done so properly.

  • April 07, 2026

    Chipotle Worker In Seattle Alleges Scheduling Law Violations

    Restaurant chain Chipotle violated two Seattle employment laws by failing to provide workers with adequate notice of scheduling adjustments and withholding additional pay owed to those affected by late scheduling changes, according to a proposed class action in Washington state court.

  • April 07, 2026

    $58M Verdict Against Givaudan Upheld In Toxic Exposure Suit

    A Missouri appeals court on Tuesday refused to throw out a $58 million judgment against Givaudan Flavors Corp. in a suit from a worker who alleged that exposure to its chemicals gave him an incurable lung disease, rejecting the company's argument that his experts were wrongly allowed to testify.

  • April 07, 2026

    Texas Panel Keeps Ex-GC's Suit Over Unpaid Bonuses Alive

    A Texas appeals court on Tuesday kept in play a suit by a dairy equipment manufacturer's former general counsel over unpaid bonuses, holding that updated anti-SLAPP rules applied to newly added claims in the suit and that the company failed to meet procedural requirements in trying to dismiss them.

  • April 07, 2026

    2nd Circ. Backs Cheese Producer In Whey Contract Battle

    A nutritional supplement maker forfeited an argument that its whey supplier was required to engage in ongoing sale negotiations by failing to raise it in the lower court, the Second Circuit ruled in upholding a summary judgment win for the world's largest producer of mozzarella cheese.

  • April 07, 2026

    Hormel Foods Faces Class Cert. Bid In Retirement Fund Suit

    An ex-worker for Hormel Foods Corp. asked a Minnesota federal judge to certify a class in his federal benefits lawsuit alleging the company failed to remove high-cost investment options with poor return rates from its $1.2 billion in employee retirement plans.

  • April 07, 2026

    John Deere Inks $99M Deal In Farmers' Right-To-Repair Suit

    John Deere has agreed to pay $99 million to a putative class of farmers to resolve claims that it limits competition for farm equipment repairs by preventing unaffiliated shops from acquiring the necessary tools, and will also provide injunctive relief that would allow those independent repair providers to be able to diagnose and fix John Deere-brand agricultural equipment.

  • April 07, 2026

    Fat Brands Landlords Want More Info On Lease Sales

    Mall owner Simon Property Group has joined with other landlords of Fat Brands' eateries to tell a Texas bankruptcy court that the restaurant group's proposed Chapter 11 sale procedures don't give the property owners sufficient input into the sale of their leases.

  • April 07, 2026

    Chipotle Settles Suit Over Pandemic Change Shortfalls

    Chipotle Mexican Grill has reached a settlement with a customer who accused the chain of shortchanging cash‑paying patrons during the 2020 COVID‑19 coin shortage, according to a joint status report filed in Pennsylvania federal court.

  • April 07, 2026

    NJ Food Biz Owner Fights Sanctions Bid Over Death Claims

    A New Jersey businessman suing the widow of a former business partner in a food industry contract dispute denied that he insinuated that his opponent played a role in her husband's death, saying the statements in question support his case.

  • April 07, 2026

    Sushi Chef Fights Restaurant's Bid For Quick Win In OT Suit

    A sushi chef pushed back against a restaurant's contention that he is a "serial filer" of "baseless" wage suits whose experience in the restaurant industry precludes his wage claims, telling a Connecticut federal court that overtime liability turns on whether an employee performed uncompensated work, not prior experience.

  • April 07, 2026

    Frozen Eels Must Be Released By FDA, Food Importer Says

    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration wrongly and arbitrarily blocked four shipments of frozen roasted eels from China — and unlawfully pulled back another — that match other approved shipments, an importer told a North Carolina federal district court.

  • April 06, 2026

    Stanley Bottle Maker Beats Renewed Class Action Over Lead

    A Seattle federal judge dismissed a consumer lawsuit accusing the maker of Stanley tumblers of concealing its use of lead in drinkware products, ruling Friday that shoppers failed to show "a specific and plausible risk of harm" from lead-containing pellets used to seal the insulated containers.

  • April 06, 2026

    Fertilizer-Makers Face More Price-Fixing Accusations

    The nation's leading fertilizer producers have been hit with more federal antitrust claims targeting an allegedly "secret" conspiracy to inflate prices for their nitrogen, phosphate and potassium products.

  • April 06, 2026

    Ill. AG Urges 7th Circ. To Uphold Landmark Swipe-Fee Law

    Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul has urged the Seventh Circuit to rule that his state may fully enforce its Interchange Fee Prohibition Act against national banks and other financial institutions, defending its ban on tax-and-tip swipe fees amid a banking industry appeal.

  • April 06, 2026

    8th Circ. Rejects Seed Price-Fix Claims Against Bayer, Others

    An Eighth Circuit panel refused Monday to revive antitrust claims accusing Bayer, Cargill, BASF and other seed and crop input giants of boycotting e-commerce platforms to hide price-fixing, agreeing with the district court that the farmer plaintiffs failed to specify what any particular defendant did.

  • April 06, 2026

    Splenda Loses Bid To End Scientist's Libel Counterclaim

    The maker of Splenda lost its bid for a pretrial win on a scientist's counterclaims for libel after a North Carolina federal judge on Monday ruled they weren't filed too late because the counterclaims are directly linked to the company's defamation suit challenging her statements linking Splenda to cancer-causing chemicals.

  • April 06, 2026

    Full Fed. Circ. Urged To Course Correct On Design Patent Test

    The full Federal Circuit needs to return design patent infringement to a similarities-focused test, rather than one looking at differences between designs, massage device-maker Range of Motion Products LLC said in a bid to revive its suit against Armaid Co.

Expert Analysis

  • What Cos. Must Note From EU's Delivery Hero-Glovo Ruling

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    The European Commission’s recent landmark decision in Delivery Hero-Glovo, sanctioning companies for the first time over a stand-alone no-poach cartel agreement, underscores the potential antitrust risks of horizontal cross-ownership between competitors, say lawyers at McDermott.

  • Ultra-Processed Food Claims Rely On Unproven Science

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    Plaintiffs' arguments that ultra-processed foods are responsible for the nationwide increase in certain chronic illnesses, though a novel approach to food-based personal injury claims, depend on theories that are still being tested, say attorneys at DLA Piper.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Skillful Persuasion

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    In many ways, law school teaches us how to argue, but when the ultimate goal is to get your client what they want, being persuasive through preparation and humility is the more likely key to success, says Michael Friedland at Friedland Cianfrani.

  • A Look At Trump 2.0 Antitrust Enforcement So Far

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    The first six months of President Donald Trump's second administration were marked by aggressive antitrust enforcement tempered by traditional structural remedies for mergers, but other unprecedented actions, like the firing of Federal Trade Commission Democrats, will likely stoke heated discussion ahead, says Richard Dagen at Axinn.

  • Litigation Inspiration: How To Respond After A Loss

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    Every litigator loses a case now and then, and the sting of that loss can become a medicine that strengthens or a poison that corrodes, depending on how the attorney responds, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Tips For Cos. From California Climate Reporting FAQ

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    New guidance from the California Air Resources Board on how businesses must implement the state's sweeping climate reporting requirements should help companies assess their exposure, understand their disclosure obligations and begin documenting good-faith compliance efforts, says Thierry Montoya at Frost Brown.

  • FDA's Hasty Policymaking Approach Faces APA Challenges

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    Though the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has abandoned its usual notice-and-comment process for implementing new regulatory initiatives, two recent district court decisions make clear that these programs are still susceptible to Administrative Procedure Act challenges, says Rachel Turow at Skadden.

  • The Metamorphosis Of The Major Questions Doctrine

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    The so-called major questions doctrine arose as a counterweight to Chevron deference over the past few decades, but invocations of the doctrine have persisted in the year since Chevron was overturned, suggesting it still has a role to play in reining in agency overreach, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • What 9th Circ. Cracker Barrel Ruling Means For FLSA Cert.

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    The Ninth Circuit's decision in Harrington v. Cracker Barrel suggests a settling of two procedural trends in Fair Labor Standards Act jurisprudence — when to issue notice and where nationwide collectives can be filed — rather than deepening circuit splits, says Rebecca Ojserkis at Cohen Milstein.

  • Defense Lessons From Freshworks' Win In Post-IPO Case

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    A California federal court’s recent decision to grant Freshworks’ summary judgment bid in a proposed investor class action helpfully clarifies two important points for defendants facing postoffering securities claims under Section 11 of the Securities Act, say attorneys at Paul Weiss.

  • Series

    Playing Mah-Jongg Makes Me A Better Mediator

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    Mah-jongg rewards patience, pattern recognition, adaptability and keen observation, all skills that are invaluable to my role as a mediator, and to all mediating parties, says Marina Corodemus.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Navigating Client Trauma

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    Law schools don't train students to handle repeated exposure to clients' traumatic experiences, but for litigators practicing in areas like civil rights and personal injury, success depends on the ability to view cases clinically and to recognize when you may need to seek help, says Katie Bennett at Robins Kaplan.

  • Challenging A Class Representative's Adequacy And Typicality

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    Recent cases highlight that a named plaintiff cannot certify a putative class action unless they can meet all the applicable requirements of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, so defendants should consider challenging a plaintiff's ability to meet typicality and adequacy requirements early and often, say attorneys at Womble Bond.

  • Opinion

    4 Former Justices Would Likely Frown On Litigation Funding

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    As courts increasingly confront cases involving hidden litigation finance contracts, the jurisprudence of four former U.S. Supreme Court justices establishes a constitutional framework that risks erosion by undisclosed financial interests, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • How Attys Can Use AI To Surface Narratives In E-Discovery

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    E-discovery has reached a turning point where document review is no longer just about procedural tasks like identifying relevance and redacting privilege — rather, generative artificial intelligence tools now allow attorneys to draw connections, extract meaning and tell a coherent story, says Rose Jones at Hilgers Graben.

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