Food & Beverage

  • March 17, 2026

    2nd Circ. Kills Contempt Order In Starbucks False Ad Suit

    A New York federal judge overstepped in holding an attorney in contempt for filing what the lower court deemed a "meritless" false advertising lawsuit over the amount of potassium in a Starbucks coffee flavor, the Second Circuit ruled Tuesday.

  • March 17, 2026

    Eatery's Ex-Manager Used Its Funds For Own Chain, Suit Says

    The former general manager of a Boston restaurant tapped its accounts for "well in excess of $1 million" to underwrite startup and operational costs for his own group of Greek eateries, according to a lawsuit filed in state court.

  • March 16, 2026

    OCC Calls For Preemption Of Ill. Swipe-Fee Law At 7th Circ.

    A top U.S. banking regulator is seconding the banking industry's call for the Seventh Circuit to block Illinois' tax and tip swipe-fee ban, arguing a lower-court judge missed the "forest for the trees" in ruling the state-law restrictions are enforceable against banks it oversees.

  • March 16, 2026

    Edible Arrangements Wins Sanctions, Beats Ex-COO's Claims

    A Georgia federal judge struck the answer filed by Edible Arrangements' former chief operating officer and his company as a sanction for bad faith discovery conduct, finding they hid key evidence about millions in vendor checks deposited into a personal account.

  • March 16, 2026

    Teamsters Push For Arbitration In Kraft Heinz Benefits Suit

    A Teamsters local contended that a dispute with Kraft Heinz Co. over a healthcare benefits grievance must be arbitrated because it falls within the scope of the parties' collective bargaining agreement, the union told a Delaware federal judge.

  • March 16, 2026

    SD Eliminates Ag Land Assessment, Tax Oversight Task Force

    South Dakota eliminated a task force that oversaw the assessment and taxation of agricultural land and required the state Department of Revenue to provide data relating to the valuation of such land to state legislative tax committees under a bill signed by the governor.

  • March 16, 2026

    Pepsi Bottler's Fee Dispute Belongs In Arbitration, Judge Says

    A Pepsi distributor cannot be forced by a federal court to pay arbitration costs in a misclassification dispute with the company, a New York federal magistrate judge ruled Monday, finding that the fee dispute must instead be resolved within the arbitration itself.

  • March 16, 2026

    Tree Top Can't Toss False Ad Suit Over '100% Juice' Claims

    A California federal judge ruled Monday that Tree Top must face a proposed class action alleging it mislabels some of its apple juices as being made with "100% juice" despite adding synthetically produced ascorbic acid, finding the plaintiff plausibly alleged the ascorbic acid added to the beverages aren't made from apples.

  • March 16, 2026

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    The Delaware Chancery Court's docket last week featured disputes including an $83.75 million settlement tied to a renewable energy merger, fraud claims in a fertilizer company acquisition and a developer's fight for control of a major Philadelphia redevelopment project.

  • March 13, 2026

    Ky. Farm Says DOL Must Bring H-2A Case In Federal Court

    A small Kentucky tobacco farm has sued the U.S. Department of Labor, claiming its in-house adjudication system for violations of the H-2A temporary farmworker visa program is unconstitutional because the agency serves as the prosecutor, judge and jury.

  • March 13, 2026

    Agri Stats Cuts Chicken, Pork, Turkey Price-Fixing Deals

    Agri Stats Inc. reached settlements Friday with groups of buyers in separate cases over alleged price fixing in the chicken, pork and turkey industries, ending several sets of claims targeting use of its benchmarking reports by protein processors.

  • March 13, 2026

    Trump Executive Order Targets 'Made In America' Labeling

    President Donald Trump on Friday issued an executive order directing the Federal Trade Commission to draft regulations for online retailers to verify that goods advertised as "Made In America" are in fact made in the country, making it an enforcement priority for the agency.

  • March 13, 2026

    NY Man Can't Claim He Bought Tainted Grimmway Carrots

    A New York federal judge on Friday threw out a proposed class action against Grimmway Enterprises Inc. over carrots recalled for possible contamination with E. coli, saying the plaintiff hasn't plausibly alleged the carrots he bought were tainted at all.

  • March 13, 2026

    Labor Board Accuses UFCW Unit Of Fining Nonmembers

    National Labor Relations Board prosecutors have accused a United Food and Commercial Workers local of violating federal labor law by fining two King Soopers workers who quit the union and returned to work during a strike last year.

  • March 13, 2026

    H-2A Workers Reach $305K Deal In Wage Dispute With Farm

    Lee and Sons Farms told a North Carolina federal court it has agreed to pay $305,000 to settle claims from migrant H-2A workers who accused it of underpaying them and forcing them to buy inadequate meals.

  • March 13, 2026

    Nature's Bakery Sued Over 'Wholesome' Fig Bar Label

    A New Yorker on Thursday lodged a proposed class action against Nature's Bakery LLC, saying that its "wholesome" representation belies the presence of synthetic citric acid and excessive sugar in its fig bars.

  • March 13, 2026

    Insurers Say Prairie Farms' Policies Don't Cover $191M Verdict

    Berkeley National Insurance Co. and a Sompo International unit told an Illinois federal judge that excess liability policies they issued to Prairie Farms do not cover a $191.5 million punitive damages award the dairy giant must pay to the family of a man who died while transporting dry ice for one of its subsidiaries.

  • March 13, 2026

    Tribes Back Bid To Undo NY Eel-Fishing Ruling At 2nd Circ.

    A Native American rights group and a Massachusetts tribe are backing a Second Circuit bid to reverse a decision that a New York Indigenous nation does not have eel-fishing rights free of state regulatory fees, arguing that they have an interest in ensuring inherent aboriginal rights are protected.

  • March 13, 2026

    Walmart Says Pa. Store Didn't Break Grocery Sales Agreement

    Walmart wants to throw out a neighboring property owner's claim that a Pittsburgh-area store breached the terms of a nearly 30-year-old easement agreement, arguing a lawsuit's allegation that it had been in violation of an agreement not to compete on grocery sales for years was too vague and too late.

  • March 13, 2026

    UK Litigation Roundup: Here's What You Missed In London

    In London, Estée Lauder accused Jo Malone's founder of intellectual property infringement, the wife of an Iranian businessman linked to a £75 million fraud sued several Iranian oil companies, HSBC sued U.S. property tycoon Michael Fuchs, and Charles Russell Speechlys brought a claim against a United Arab Emirates company it once represented in an international arbitration.

  • March 13, 2026

    Tort Report: Uber Won't OK Bigger Jury At 2nd Bellwether

    Trial strategy by Uber ahead of a second bellwether trial in sexual assault multidistrict litigation and a $4 million injury verdict against Publix in Florida lead Law360's Tort Report, which compiles recent personal injury and medical malpractice news that may have flown under the radar.

  • March 12, 2026

    Tom's Toothpaste Trims Class Action Over Lead Levels

    Tom's of Maine can't beat back proposed class claims it allowed heavy metals to taint its children's toothpaste, a New York federal judge ruled Wednesday, finding that the parent behind the suit adequately claimed the company falsely marketed the products as "safe" and "healthy."

  • March 12, 2026

    Icahn Outbid By $7B Caesars Offer, And Other Rumors

    Billionaire Tilman Fertitta is in exclusive negotiations to buy Caesars Entertainment for roughly $7 billion, superseding a competing all-cash offer from Carl Icahn's Icahn Enterprises, and Papa John's received a bid from Qatari-backed investment firm Irth Capital Management that could value the pizza chain at $1.5 billion. 

  • March 12, 2026

    Del. Chancery Rejects Fraud Claims In $313.5M Fertilizer Deal

    The Delaware Chancery Court has ruled that a group of investors failed to prove that executives and a private equity sponsor behind agricultural technology company Verdesian Life Sciences LLC defrauded them into investing in a 2014 acquisition, holding after trial that the claims were both time-barred and unsupported.

  • March 12, 2026

    IRS Allows 15% Of KFC Parent's Domestic Production Claim

    The IRS and the parent of Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell agreed that the company's total deductions for domestic production activities during 2013-2015 were $1.6 million — roughly 15% of the $10.7 million the company had claimed as deductions for the three years.

Expert Analysis

  • DOJ Enforcement Trends To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2025

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    Recent investigations, settlements and a declination to prosecute suggest that controlling the flow of goods into and out of the country, and redressing what the administration sees as reverse discrimination, are likely to be at the forefront of the U.S. Department of Justice's enforcement agenda the rest of this year, say attorneys at Baker Botts.

  • Federal Regs Order May Spell Harsher FDCA Enforcement

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    A recent executive order aimed at reducing criminal prosecutions of those who unknowingly violate complex federal regulations may actually lead to more aggressive felony indictments under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, but companies and executives can mitigate risks by following several key principals, say attorneys at McGuireWoods.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Practicing Self-Care

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    Law schools don’t teach the mental, physical and emotional health maintenance tools necessary to deal with the profession's many demands, but practicing self-care is an important key to success that can help to improve focus, manage stress and reduce burnout, says Rachel Leonard​​​​​​​ at MG+M.

  • ABA Opinion Makes It A Bit Easier To Drop A 'Hot Potato'

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    The American Bar Association's recent ethics opinion clarifies when attorneys may terminate clients without good cause, though courts may still disqualify a lawyer who drops a client like a hot potato, so sending a closeout letter is always a best practice, say attorneys at Thompson Hine.

  • Latest Influencer Marketing Class Actions Pinpoint 5 Themes

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    Several recent deceptive marketing class actions against both brands and influencers attempt to transform arguably routine business practices into a new focus area for consumer complaints, suggesting a coordinated approach to test what could become an increasingly popular area of litigation, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • How Trump's Trade Policies Are Shaping Foreign Investment

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    Five months into the Trump administration, investors are beginning to see the concrete effects of the president’s America First Investment Policy as it presents new opportunities for clearing transactions more quickly, while sustaining risk aversion related to Chinese trade and potentially creating different political risks, say attorneys at Covington.

  • Series

    My Opera And Baseball Careers Make Me A Better Lawyer

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    Though participating in opera and the world of professional baseball often pulls me away from the office, my avocations improve my legal career by helping me perform under scrutiny, prioritize team success, and maintain joy and perspective at work, says Adam Unger at Herrick Feinstein.

  • 4 Consumer Class Action Trends To Watch In 2nd Half Of 2025

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    The first half of 2025 has seen a surge of consumer class action trends related to online tools, websites and marketing messages, creating a new legal risk landscape for companies of all sizes, says Scott Shaffer at Olshan Frome.

  • 8 Ways Lawyers Can Protect The Rule Of Law In Their Work

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    Whether they are concerned with judicial independence, regulatory predictability or client confidence, lawyers can take specific meaningful actions on their own when traditional structures are too slow or too compromised to respond, says Angeli Patel at the Berkeley Center of Law and Business.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Communicating With Clients

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    Law school curricula often overlook client communication procedures, and those who actively teach this crucial facet of the practice can create exceptional client satisfaction and success, says Patrick Hanson at Wiggam Law.

  • One Year On, Davidson Holds Lessons On 'Health Halo' Claims

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    A year after the Ninth Circuit's Davidson v. Sprout Foods decision — which raised the bar for so-called health halo claims — food and beverage companies can draw insights from its finding, subsequently expanded on by other courts, that plaintiffs must be specific when alleging fraud in healthfulness marketing, say attorneys at Sidley.

  • Bill Leaves Renewable Cos. In Dark On Farmland Reporting

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    A U.S. Senate bill to update disclosure requirements for foreign control of U.S. farmland does not provide much-needed guidance on how to report renewable energy development on agricultural property, leaving significant compliance risks for project developers, say attorneys at Hodgson Russ.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From US Rep. To Boutique Firm

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    My transition from serving as a member of Congress to becoming a partner at a boutique firm has been remarkably smooth, in part because I never stopped exercising my legal muscles, maintained relationships with my former colleagues and set the right tone at the outset, says Mondaire Jones at Friedman Kaplan.

  • Opinion

    Senate's 41% Litigation Finance Tax Would Hurt Legal System

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    The Senate’s latest version of the Big Beautiful Bill Act would impose a 41% tax on the litigation finance industry, but the tax is totally disconnected from the concerns it purports to address, and it would set the country back to a time when small plaintiffs had little recourse against big defendants, says Anthony Sebok at Cardozo School of Law.

  • Series

    Performing As A Clown Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    To say that being a clown in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade has changed my legal career would truly be an understatement — by creating an opening to converse on a unique topic, it has allowed me to connect with clients, counsel and even judges on a deeper level, says Charles Tatelbaum at Tripp Scott.

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