Hospitality

  • January 09, 2025

    Hotel Guest Death Suit Dismissal Back In Play, Fla. Court Says

    A hotel chain sued for allegedly causing a guest's horseback riding death can get another shot at escaping the suit after a Florida state appeals court ruled that an evidentiary hearing must be held to sort out a jurisdiction issue.

  • 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

    Ex-Knick Wants MSG Sanctioned Over Lost Emails

    Former New York Knicks player Charles Oakley informed a Manhattan federal judge he intends to seek sanctions over a set of lost emails involving a group of Madison Square Garden employees that he alleges assaulted him when he was ejected as a spectator from a 2017 game.

  • 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

    Highgate Hotels Hit With Suit Over Months-Long Data Breach

    A former employee seeking to represent a class claimed in New York federal court that real estate and hospitality management company Highgate Hotels failed to use basic cyberattack prevention tools, allowing hackers to access employee records for months.

  • January 08, 2025

    Uber Rider's Discrimination Suit Sent To Arbitration

    A blind Uber customer must arbitrate claims that the drivers on the ride-sharing platform discriminate against visually impaired riders who use service animals, a D.C. federal judge has ruled.

  • January 08, 2025

    Judge Reverses His Own Ruling In Chicago Hotel Zoning Fight

    An Illinois federal judge ruled against the owners of a historic Chicago hotel Tuesday, dialing back an earlier victory he had granted them last year in a zoning suit against the city.

  • January 08, 2025

    Ex-MGM Worker Had 'God-Given Right' To Skip Vax, Jury Told

    An attorney for a fired MGM Grand Detroit warehouse manager harked back to the American Revolution to try to persuade a Michigan federal jury during opening statements that his client was wrongfully denied an exemption from the casino's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.

  • January 08, 2025

    Calif. Tribe Has Standing To Block Casino Project, Court Told

    A California tribe says it has constitutional standing to block the Interior Department from taking land into trust for a proposed casino project on its historic homelands, arguing that it suffered actual and concrete harm when the agency determined that no historic resources would be affected by the endeavor.

  • January 08, 2025

    SeaWorld Strikes $1.25M Deal In 401(k) Mismanagement Suit

    SeaWorld agreed to pay $1.25 million to resolve a class action alleging it hindered its $237 million retirement plan with pricey funds and expensive recordkeeping fees, a California federal court filing said.

  • January 07, 2025

    Ex-Knick, Ex-MSG Security Head Spar Over Deposition

    Former New York Knicks player Charles Oakley and the former chief of security for Madison Square Garden have reached an "impasse" over a subpoena for the ex-chief's documents and deposition in a suit over Oakley's ejection from a February 2017 NBA game.

  • January 07, 2025

    Starbucks Says It Can Target Inventor In Mobile Ordering Feud

    Starbucks has urged the Eastern District of Texas to keep alive its counterclaims against a patent-licensing executive who claims the coffee chain infringed a patent covering a mobile ordering system, accusing him of creating an "extensive thimblerig" of shell entities to avoid paying the cost of his "meritless" cases.

  • January 07, 2025

    Wash. Panel Won't Boot Subway Wage Dispute To Arbitration

    A Washington state appeals court declined to send to arbitration a former worker's suit accusing a Subway franchisee of failing to provide employees with meal breaks, despite a dissent finding that the worker's wage claims fall under an arbitration pact.

  • January 07, 2025

    Calif. Panel Says Individual PAGA Claims Belong In Arbitration

    An arbitration pact that the operator of a restaurant chain in California gave to a worker pushes his Private Attorneys General Act individual claims into arbitration, a state appeals panel ruled, partly flipping a trial court's decision.

  • January 06, 2025

    'Pizza Puff' Maker Fights Little Caesars' Injunction Stay Bid

    An Illinois federal judge shouldn't wait to enforce his order blocking Little Caesars from marketing its latest pizza muffin appetizer as "pizza puffs" because the chain won't convince the Seventh Circuit the term is generic, the company behind the trademarked fried pizza product argued Monday.

  • January 06, 2025

    MGM, Ex-Worker Prepare For COVID-19 Vax Exemption Trial

    A former MGM Grand Detroit employee will try to convince a federal jury this week that the casino and hotel improperly denied his request for religious exemption from its mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy, while MGM Grand is preparing to argue that the worker's shifting answers can't prove his purported beliefs were sincere. 

  • January 06, 2025

    Texas Restaurant Illegally Claims Tip Credit, Server Says

    A Houston-area restaurant should not be allowed to claim a tip credit that permits it to pay servers less than the minimum wage because it failed to inform workers that they have to foot the bill for their uniforms, according to a proposed collective action filed in Texas federal court.

  • January 06, 2025

    Jenner & Block Faces DQ Bid In Casino Project Dispute

    Three Native American tribes want Jenner & Block LLP disqualified from a lawsuit that seeks to block the construction of a new casino in Oregon, claiming the firm previously represented them in the same dispute.

  • January 03, 2025

    Panera Stiffed Catering Staff Out Of OT Pay, PAGA Suit Says

    Panera cheated some employees out of overtime wages and reimbursement for the use of their cars and cellphones working with catering clients, and also manipulated records to inaccurately log break times in violation of California labor laws, according to a representative action lodged Thursday in California state court. 

  • January 03, 2025

    Calif. Tribes Sue Casino Card Rooms Under New Law

    Seven California tribes are taking advantage of a new state law that prohibits games in card rooms to sue a slew of private casinos, accusing them of brazenly profiting from illegal gambling.

  • January 03, 2025

    Honeygrow Accused Of Taxing Bottled Water At Pa. Location

    Philadelphia-based restaurant chain Honeygrow unjustly profited from charging 6% sales tax for bottled water at one of its locations in violation of Pennsylvania law, a new class action lawsuit filed in state court alleged.

  • January 03, 2025

    Orchard Settles 'Criminal Enterprise' Defamation Suit

    The former part-owner of a Michigan orchard and the orchard's holding company have settled claims that the ex-partner defamed the company and caused a loss of business by logging into its Google business account and calling it a "criminal enterprise."

  • January 03, 2025

    Ore., Calif. Tribes Can't Stop Casino Project

    A D.C. federal district court judge denied a bid by three tribes to block the U.S. Department of the Interior from issuing a determination that would greenlight a casino project in Oregon, saying the environmental impact statement for the endeavor does not constitute a final agency action.

  • January 02, 2025

    Anchorage Residents Look To Block Tribal Casino Project

    A group of Anchorage residents has sued the acting chairwoman of the National Indian Gaming Commission and the Native village of Eklutna in Alaska federal court, claiming plans to build a 58,000-square-foot casino will ruin their rural neighborhood.

  • January 02, 2025

    9th Circ. Partly Revives Casino ATM Contract Dispute, Again

    A unanimous panel of the Ninth Circuit partially reversed a bench trial verdict Thursday in two merchant service companies' dispute, in which a payment processor alleged a business it partnered with breached their contract by failing to adapt to chip-based credit card technology by a key deadline, reinstating the case for a second time.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    Being An Artist Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    My work as an artist has highlighted how using creativity and precision together — qualities that are equally essential in both art and law — not only improves outcomes, but also leads to more innovative and thoughtful work, says Sarah La Pearl at Segal McCambridge.

  • How Judiciary Can Minimize AI Risks In Secondary Sources

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    Because courts’ standing orders on generative artificial intelligence and other safeguards do not address the risk of hallucinations in secondary source materials, the judiciary should consider enlisting legal publishers and database hosts to protect against AI-generated inaccuracies, say attorneys at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

  • How Attorneys Can Break Free From Career Enmeshment

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    Ambitious attorneys can sometimes experience career enmeshment — when your sense of self-worth becomes unhealthily tangled up in your legal vocation — but taking the time to discover and realign with your core personal values can help you recover your identity, says Janna Koretz at Azimuth Psychological.

  • Where Can Privacy Plaintiffs Sue When Injury Is Online?

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    Website owners need to understand wiretapping laws to understand whether they may be sued for activity tracking in California or Pennsylvania courts, where the statutory damages for violations of half-century-old laws can be substantial — and a recent Third Circuit decision suggests establishing specific jurisdiction is not as easy as 1-2-3, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Lawyers With Disabilities Are Seeking Equity, Not Pity

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    Attorneys living with disabilities face extra challenges — including the need for special accommodations, the fear of stigmatization and the risk of being tokenized — but if given equitable opportunities, they can still rise to the top of their field, says Kate Reder Sheikh, a former attorney and legal recruiter at Major Lindsey & Africa.

  • Opinion

    Judicial Committee Best Venue For Litigation Funding Rules

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    The Advisory Committee on Civil Rules' recent decision to consider developing a rule for litigation funding disclosure is a welcome development, ensuring that the result will be the product of a thorough, inclusive and deliberative process that appropriately balances all interests, says Stewart Ackerly at Statera Capital.

  • The Strategic Advantages Of Appointing A Law Firm CEO

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    The impact on law firms of the recent CrowdStrike outage underscores that the business of law is no longer merely about providing supplemental support for legal practice — and helps explain why some law firms are appointing dedicated, full-time CEOs to navigate the challenges of the modern legal landscape, says Jennifer Johnson at Calibrate Strategies.

  • Series

    Beekeeping Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    The practice of patent law and beekeeping are not typically associated, but taking care of honeybees has enriched my legal practice by highlighting the importance of hands-on experience, continuous learning, mentorship and more, says David Longo at Oblon McClelland.

  • Opinion

    Legal Institutions Must Warn Against Phony Election Suits

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    With two weeks until the election, bar associations and courts have an urgent responsibility to warn lawyers about the consequences of filing unsubstantiated lawsuits claiming election fraud, says Elise Bean at the Carl Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy.

  • How Cos. Can Build A Strong In-House Pro Bono Program

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    During this year’s pro bono celebration week, companies should consider some key pointers to grow and maintain a vibrant in-house program for attorneys to provide free legal services for the public good, says Mary Benton at Alston & Bird.

  • Series

    Home Canning Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Making my own pickles and jams requires seeing a process through from start to finish, as does representing clients from the start of a dispute at the Patent Trial and Appeal Board through any appeals to the Federal Circuit, says attorney Kevin McNish.

  • Navigating FEMA Grant Program For Slope Fixes After Storms

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    In the aftermath of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, it is critical for governments, businesses and individuals to understand the legal requirements of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's grant programs to obtain funding for crucial repairs — including restoration of damaged infrastructure caused by landslides and slope failures, says Charles Schexnaildre at Baker Donelson.

  • Use The Right Kind Of Feedback To Help Gen Z Attorneys

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    Generation Z associates bring unique perspectives and expectations to the workplace, so it’s imperative that supervising attorneys adapt their feedback approach in order to help young lawyers learn and grow — which is good for law firms, too, says Rachael Bosch at Fringe Professional Development.

  • Opinion

    Congress Can And Must Enact A Supreme Court Ethics Code

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    As public confidence in the U.S. Supreme Court dips to historic lows following reports raising conflict of interest concerns, Congress must exercise its constitutional power to enact a mandatory and enforceable code of ethics for the high court, says Muhammad Faridi, president of the New York City Bar Association.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Justice Lebovits On Gilbert And Sullivan

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    Characters in the 19th century comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan break the rules of good lawyering by shamelessly throwing responsible critical thought to the wind, providing hilarious lessons for lawyers and judges on how to avoid a surfeit of traps and tribulations, say acting New York Supreme Court Justice Gerald Lebovits and law student Tara Scown.

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