Hospitality

  • December 12, 2024

    Ballot Issue Group Can't Nose Into Ark. Casino Measure Suit

    The ballot issue committee backing an Arkansas amendment that revoked a Cherokee Nation business's casino license can't intervene in the tribal entity's challenge that looks to block the law, a federal district court judge said Thursday, arguing that it has not adequately refuted the presumption that the state can defend its rights.

  • December 12, 2024

    'Housewives' Figure Touts Social Media Posts In Leniency Bid

    Former "Real Housewives of Atlanta" cast member Peter Anthony Thomas asked a North Carolina federal judge on Thursday to give him a prison sentence below federal guidelines for not paying $2.5 million in employment taxes, stating he has used his public platform to encourage his followers to pay their own taxes.

  • December 12, 2024

    Restaurants Latest To Accuse Potato Cartel Of Price-Fixing

    A group of restaurants on Wednesday filed a lawsuit in Illinois federal court accusing the four largest potato processors of forming a cartel to fix the prices of French fries, tater tots and other frozen potato products, about a month after consumers brought the first such litigation.

  • December 11, 2024

    Seminole Tribe Can't Intervene In Gaming Ad Suit, Court Told

    A class action party is objecting to the Seminole Tribe of Florida's proposed intervention in the lawsuit, saying the tribe's interests are adequately protected by vendor Seminole Hard Rock Digital, which has already raised the tribe's defenses in successive motions to dismiss.

  • December 11, 2024

    Justices Question Affiliates' Liability In $47M TM Judgment

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday questioned why lower courts ordered affiliates of a real estate company to pay a $47 million trademark infringement judgment against it when they were not defendants, with Justice Clarence Thomas asking counsel for the prevailing party why they did not include the affiliates in the case.

  • December 11, 2024

    DC Judge Enforces $325M Arbitral Award Against Argentina

    Argentina must pay a $391 million arbitral award issued following a 15-year-old dispute over the renationalization of the country's state-owned airline, a federal judge in Washington, D.C., ruled on Tuesday.

  • December 11, 2024

    Akerman Can't Escape Malpractice Suit Over Lease Dispute

    Akerman LLP has lost its jurisdictional challenge to a lawsuit alleging it owes a seafood restaurant chain over $1 million for giving bad advice during a lease dispute in Florida, with a Texas appeals court ruling the malpractice claims stem from work the firm solicited within the Lone Star State.

  • December 10, 2024

    Michigan Tribe Asks High Court To Undo Land Trust Order

    A Michigan tribe is asking the Supreme Court to overturn a decision that rejected its bid to compel the federal government to take land into trust for a casino venture outside Detroit, arguing that if the ruling is left to stand, it will forever impair its ability to achieve economic self-sufficiency.

  • December 10, 2024

    Tribe Says Feds Cast Aside Calls For Consult On Ore. Casino

    A number of Indigenous communities, along with state and federal lawmakers are calling on the federal government to take a harder look at Oregon's first proposed off-reservation casino project before its final approval, saying requests for tribal consultation on the endeavor have been ignored for more than a decade.

  • December 10, 2024

    'Figurehead Plaintiff' Dooms Cert. In Hotel Workers' BIPA Suit

    An Illinois federal judge refused Tuesday to certify a class of hotel workers accusing software provider Unifocus of violating Illinois' landmark biometric privacy law, saying their class representative had become a "forbidden figurehead plaintiff" who didn't see the operative complaint until more than three years into the litigation.

  • December 09, 2024

    Vail Resorts Says Colo. District Can't Escape Debt Deal

    A Colorado special district seeking to revive a lawsuit challenging an intergovernmental agreement from the early 2000s is only trying to avoid repaying millions of dollars in debt, Vail Resorts and another special district told a state appellate court.

  • December 09, 2024

    Healthcare Facilities Biz Settles DOJ Citizenship Bias Claims

    Healthcare Services Group Inc. and one of its affiliates have agreed to pay roughly $17,400 in penalties and lost wages and benefits to put to rest the U.S. Department of Justice's allegations the company discriminated against prospective employees based on citizenship status, the Justice Department announced Friday.

  • December 09, 2024

    9th Circ. Tosses Regal Cinemas' COVID Coverage Suit

    Regal Cinemas cannot get coverage for its losses stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ninth Circuit ruled Monday, finding that a decision from New York's top court, along with a contamination exclusion, doomed any chance of coverage under the theater chain's policies with units of Allianz, Liberty Mutual and Zurich.

  • December 09, 2024

    Settlements Don't Strip Appellate Rights, Mich. Panel Says

    A litigant did not lose the right to appeal an adverse ruling because she later voluntarily dropped her remaining claims and failed to reserve her right to appeal, a special seven-judge Michigan state appeals court panel said Friday.

  • December 09, 2024

    Ohio Justices Won't Revise 'Boneless' Wings Ruling

    The Ohio Supreme Court on Monday declined to reconsider its decision backing the dismissal of a suit from a man injured when he ingested a bone in a "boneless" chicken wing, though two justices sharply criticized the decision as politically motivated and a dark harbinger for Ohioans.

  • December 09, 2024

    Famous Steakhouse Chain's Ex-GC Gets Go-Ahead For Bias Suit

    The ex-general counsel of iconic steakhouse chain The Palm Restaurant can move ahead with a discrimination lawsuit claiming she was ousted after a 2020 bankruptcy sale, a New York federal court ruled Monday.

  • December 06, 2024

    High Court To Weigh $47M TM Award Liability For Non-Parties

    A trademark case before the U.S. Supreme Court Wednesday will delve into whether corporate affiliates of a real estate development company should be liable for an infringement judgment of nearly $47 million, even though they were not named defendants in the litigation.

  • December 06, 2024

    Fla. Jury Awards $310M To Family Of Teen Killed On Park Ride

    A Florida state court jury awarded $310 million to the parents of a teenager who died riding on the Orlando Freefall attraction at ICON Park two years ago after ruling against the ride's manufacturer, according to counsel representing the family.

  • December 06, 2024

    DC Circ. Won't Revisit Retroactive FARA Registration

    The D.C. Circuit rejected a bid asking the en banc court to reconsider a panel ruling that bars the federal government from suing to compel former foreign agents to retroactively register their onetime foreign influence.

  • December 05, 2024

    Dunkin' Fruit-Named Drinks Have No Fruit, False Ad Suit Says

    Dunkin' falsely markets its "Refresher" line of caffeinated beverages with names of specific fruits despite not containing any of the fruits, cheating consumers out of the "premium" fruit ingredients and their health benefits, alleges a new proposed false advertising class action filed Wednesday in New York federal court.

  • December 05, 2024

    Airbnb Customers Drop 'Assistance Fee' Suit Against Insurers

    A proposed class of Airbnb customers permanently dropped a suit accusing two of the company's insurance providers of violating Washington state law by charging an "assistance fee" when selling travel coverage.

  • December 05, 2024

    Worker Claims Four Seasons Cheated Employees On Wages

    A former Four Seasons employee said the hotel chain cheated Los Angeles employees out of wages, telling a California state court that employees weren't paid for all hours worked.

  • December 04, 2024

    Mich. Justices Doubt Shareholder Agreement Bars Debt

    A chorus of Michigan Supreme Court justices on Wednesday appeared skeptical that a sister could claim her brother's ski resort company breached an agreement for shareholder redemption by taking out debt that altered her share redemption price, pressing her attorney as to how the contract prevented the company from doing so.

  • December 04, 2024

    Starbucks Brass Face Derivative Suit Over 'Reinvention' Flop

    Officers and directors of coffee chain Starbucks are facing shareholder derivative claims over the company's so-called Triple Shot Reinvention strategy after the company disappointed the markets in April with updates about the plan.

  • December 03, 2024

    Hyatt's Appeal Of $177M Sex Assault Verdict Fails

    A Missouri appeals court on Tuesday affirmed a $177 million verdict in a suit alleging that Hyatt Corp. caused a female guest's in-room sexual assault by a hotel security guard, saying the jury's $149 million punitive damages award was supported by the hotel's "conscious disregard" for its guests' rights.

Expert Analysis

  • Del. Dispatch: Chancery's Evolving Approach To Caremark

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    Though Caremark claims are historically the least likely corporate claims to lead to liability, such cases have been met in recent years with increased judicial receptivity — but the Delaware Court of Chancery still expressly discourages the reflexive filing of Caremark claims following corporate mishaps, say attorneys at Fried Frank.

  • Leveraging Insurance Amid Microplastics Concerns

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    A pending microplastics lawsuit — New York v. PepsiCo Inc. — may be a harbinger of what is to come for companies whose products are exposed to the environment, so any company considering how to address microplastics liability should include a careful assessment of the potential for insurance coverage in its due diligence, say attorneys at Haynes Boone.

  • Series

    Teaching Yoga Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Being a yoga instructor has helped me develop my confidence and authenticity, as well as stress management and people skills — all of which have crossed over into my career as an attorney, says Laura Gongaware at Clyde & Co.

  • A Vision For Economic Clerkships In The Legal System

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    As courts handle increasingly complex damages analyses involving vast amounts of data, an economic clerkship program — integrating early-career economists into the judicial system — could improve legal outcomes and provide essential training to clerks, say Mona Birjandi at Data for Decisions and Matt Farber at Secretariat.

  • 4 Sectors Will Likely Bear Initial Brunt Of FTC 'Junk Fees' Rule

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    If the Federal Trade Commission adopts its comprehensive proposed rule to ban unfair or deceptive fees across the U.S. economy, many businesses — including those in the lodging, event ticketing, dining and transportation sectors — will need to reexamine the way they market and price their products and services, say attorneys at Skadden.

  • E-Discovery Quarterly: Recent Rulings On Text Message Data

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    Electronically stored information on cellphones, and in particular text messages, can present unique litigation challenges, and recent court decisions demonstrate that counsel must carefully balance what data should be preserved, collected, reviewed and produced, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Is The Digital Accessibility Storm Almost Over?

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    Though private businesses have faced a decadelong deluge of digital accessibility complaints in the absence of clear regulations or uniformity among the courts, attorneys at Epstein Becker address how recent federal courts’ pushback against serial Americans with Disabilities Act plaintiffs and the U.S. Department of Justice’s proposed government accessibility standards may presage a break in the downpour.

  • Series

    Swimming Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Years of participation in swimming events, especially in the open water, have proven to be ideal preparation for appellate arguments in court — just as you must put your trust in the ocean when competing in a swim event, you must do the same with the judicial process, says John Kulewicz at Vorys.

  • Breaking Down 4th Circ. Pendent Appellate Jurisdiction Ruling

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    As illustrated by the Fourth Circuit's recent decision in Elegant Massage v. State Farm, denying class certification and granting a motion to dismiss, federal appellate courts continue to struggle with defining the scope of pendent appellate jurisdiction — or jurisdiction over nonfinal orders below, says Joan Steinman at the Chicago-Kent College of Law.

  • Setting Goals For Kicking Corruption Off FIFA World Cup Field

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    The unprecedented tri-country nature of the 2026 men's World Cup will add to the complexity of an already complicated event, but best practices can help businesses stay on the right side of anti-corruption rules during this historic competition, say Sandra Moser and ​​​​​​​Emily Ahdieh at Morgan Lewis.

  • Don't Use The Same Template For Every Client Alert

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    As the old marketing adage goes, consistency is key, but law firm style guides need consistency that contemplates variety when it comes to client alert formats, allowing attorneys to tailor alerts to best fit the audience and subject matter, says Jessica Kaplan at Legally Penned.

  • Data Shows H-2B Wages May Be Skewed High By Sample Size

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    Occupational Wage and Employment Statistics wage data from April illustrates that smaller sample sizes from less populated areas may be skewing prevailing wages for H-2B visas artificially high, potentially harming businesses that rely on the visa program, says Stephen Bronars at Edgeworth Economics.

  • Series

    Walking With My Dog Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Thanks to my dog Birdie, I've learned that carving out an activity different from the practice of law — like daily outdoor walks that allow you to interact with new people — can contribute to professional success by boosting creativity and mental acuity, as well as expanding your social network, says Sarah Petrie at the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office.

  • The Secret Sauce For Trademarking Viral Food Products

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    Three recent high-profile trademark disputes in the food industry illustrate the importance of protecting brands early — especially for any company aiming for viral fame — and underscore the value of intent-to-use applications, say Elliot Gee and Matthew Dowd at Dowd Scheffel.

  • Key Issues Raised By Colorado's Brain Data Privacy Bill

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    Colorado recently became the first state to provide consumer privacy protections for data generated from a person's brain waves, and despite the bill’s ambiguity and open questions introduced, the new law has helped turn the spotlight on neurodata, says Sara Pullen Guercio at Alston & Bird.

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