Try our Advanced Search for more refined results
Food & Beverage
-
June 13, 2024
New Evidence Triggers Amended Misclassification Complaint
Growers accusing a chicken farm of misclassifying them as independent contractors can amend their suit, a South Carolina federal judge ruled Thursday, agreeing that new evidence they obtained could expand the suit's reach.
-
June 13, 2024
Hemp Co. Sues SD Gov. Over New Cannabinoid Law
A South Dakota hemp company on Thursday filed a federal lawsuit against the state's governor and attorney general over a new law due to take effect next month that would ban the processing of hemp derivatives into intoxicating products.
-
June 13, 2024
Brewpub Reaches $115K Deal To Exit EEOC Retaliation Suit
A restaurant and brewery agreed Thursday to pay $115,000 to resolve a lawsuit from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission accusing it of firing a Black cook for flagging verbal abuse of Black and Hispanic employees in the workplace, according to a filing in Georgia federal court.
-
June 13, 2024
4th Circ. Revives Bacardi Fight Over Expired TM Renewal
The Fourth Circuit on Thursday revived Bacardi's lawsuit challenging the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's decision to renew an expired trademark registration for Havana Club rum, finding such registration renewals can be reviewed by the courts.
-
June 13, 2024
Tribes Fight BC's Consultation Policy On Aboriginal Rights
Indigenous nations along British Columbia's U.S. border want a say in projects they claim will threaten the environment and their quality of life after the Canadian province announced plans earlier this year to develop a policy to clarify how tribes located outside the country are consulted on such endeavors.
-
June 13, 2024
Starbucks Must Share Hot-Drink Training Info In Burn Suit
Starbucks must turn over information on how it trains employees to handle hot drinks at drive-throughs and on recent complaints received in the Detroit area, a Michigan federal judge said Thursday after finding the information is relevant to a customer's suit alleging she was severely burned when a lid popped off her hot tea cup.
-
June 13, 2024
Perdue Wants Copycat Wage Suit Tossed or Transferred
Perdue Foods asked a Maryland federal judge Thursday to throw out or transfer to Georgia a chicken grower's suit alleging independent contractor misclassification, saying the claims are identical to another suit in that state the named plaintiff was involved with.
-
June 13, 2024
Mass. High Court Approves Tipped Wage Ballot Measure
Massachusetts' highest court on Thursday gave its blessing to a November ballot question asking voters to increase the state's minimum wage for tipped workers, finding that pairing the measure with a provision to allow tip pooling is part of an overall public policy goal to boost wages for all service industry employees.
-
June 13, 2024
Brazilian Food Chain Co. SouthRock Files Ch. 15 In Texas
SouthRock Capital Ltda., a Brazilian private equity company that operates international food service brands including Starbucks and TGI Friday, filed for Chapter 15 bankruptcy in Texas, blaming its insolvency on the COVID-19 pandemic and volatility in Brazil's economy.
-
June 13, 2024
Supreme Court Tightens NLRB Injunction Test
The U.S. Supreme Court made it tougher for the National Labor Relations Board to win injunctions against employers Thursday in a case involving Starbucks, directing courts to strictly apply a four-factor test when the board sues to stem alleged unfair labor practices.
-
June 12, 2024
NFL Exec Denies League Fixed Sunday Ticket Price At Trial
One of the NFL's top executives denied on the witness stand Wednesday in a California federal courtroom that the league dictated the cost of the DirecTV Sunday Ticket package, pushing back when an attorney for subscribers bringing multibillion-dollar antitrust claims suggested some internal emails are evidence the league fixed the price.
-
June 12, 2024
Oil Cos. Ignore Precedent In Climate Change Row, Tribes Say
Two Washington tribes seeking to remand their consolidated cases against several oil industry giants to state court say the defendants' arguments of complete preemption in their efforts to keep the climate change litigation in the federal circuit misconstrues precedent, including claims to vindicate aboriginal title.
-
June 12, 2024
Something Fishy With Conagra's '100% Whole Fish,' Suit Says
Customers alleged in Illinois federal court Tuesday that Conagra misled them by marketing its popular Van de Kamp's and Mrs. Paul's frozen fish products as "100% whole fish," despite artificially adding weight to those fish with an industrial filler and extra water.
-
June 12, 2024
$18.8M Theft Coverage Suit Must Be Heard In State Court
A Texas federal judge ruled that a lawsuit brought against an insurer over $18.8 million in theft and vandalism at a Georgia shopping center belongs in state court, refusing to create diversity by removing a plaintiff.
-
June 12, 2024
Conn. Eatery Owners Threatened To Kill Ex-Worker, DOL Says
A Connecticut restaurant group and its leaders ordered workers to lie to federal investigators during a wage and hour probe and threatened to kill an ex-worker for helping the U.S. Department of Labor, the agency said in a complaint filed in federal court.
-
June 12, 2024
Ex-Wendy's Worker Drops Suit Over Breast-Pumping Space
A former Wendy's employee who accused the company and multiple related entities of failing to provide proper private space for workers to pump breast milk despite federal labor laws requiring them to do so has permanently dropped her claims from Ohio federal court.
-
June 12, 2024
Massachusetts Pot Shop To Take Union Fight To 1st Circ.
A Massachusetts cannabis retailer found to have engaged in union busting is appealing a district court order that directed it to bargain with a United Food and Commercial Workers local and to offer to rehire two fired union supporters.
-
June 12, 2024
Magistrate Endorses Axing OT Suit But Allowing 2nd Chance
A federal magistrate judge advised tossing an unpaid overtime lawsuit against a California cold storage company that specializes in packing agricultural goods, but said the worker should have an opportunity to flesh out their claims.
-
June 11, 2024
NFL Sunday Ticket Monopoly Cost Fans $7B, Expert Testifies
An economist testifying as an expert for the plaintiffs in a California federal trial over multibillion-dollar antitrust claims brought against the NFL by DirecTV Sunday Ticket subscribers said Tuesday that subscribers suffered over $7 billion in damages from DirecTV's alleged monopoly on the television package.
-
June 11, 2024
Attys For Restaurant Software Investors Ring Up $2.25M Fee
Attorneys representing investors in a suit against restaurant software company Olo Inc. will receive $2.25 million for brokering settlement of class action claims alleging the company touted an ill-fated partnership with sandwich chain Subway as an example of its success.
-
June 11, 2024
DOL's H-2A Protections Rule Flouts Labor Law, GOP AGs Say
The U.S. Department of Labor's final rule including protections for foreign farmworkers within the H-2A visa program doesn't comport with federal labor law, a group of Republican attorneys general claimed in Georgia federal court, saying the rule doesn't give the same rights to U.S. citizen workers.
-
June 11, 2024
Granulated Sugar Price-Fixing Cases Centralized In Minn.
A collection of price-fixing suits against some of the country's biggest refined sugar manufacturers is being consolidated in Minnesota federal court, with the Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation choosing the venue over federal courts in New York.
-
June 11, 2024
Skechers Supplier Banned For Alleged Forced Labor Ties
Federal authorities announced on Tuesday three new additions — including a shoemaker linked to the sneaker brand Skechers — to their blacklist of companies purportedly linked to systematic oppression of Uyghurs and other minority groups in China.
-
June 11, 2024
Restaurant Owner Seeks $414K For Deductible Overpayment
The owner of two Florida restaurants is seeking reimbursement of over $400,000, telling a federal district court Tuesday that it overpaid a claim deductible for damage stemming from Hurricane Ian after its insurer misapplied the appropriate endorsement.
-
June 11, 2024
Charity Founder Charged With Embezzling $2.5M, Evading Tax
The founder of a New York City charity embezzled $2.5 million in donations meant for low-income families and then failed to report the earnings to the Internal Revenue Service or pay tax on them, according to a criminal complaint unsealed Tuesday in New York federal court.
Expert Analysis
-
Highlights From The 2024 ABA Antitrust Spring Meeting
U.S. merger enforcement and cartels figured heavily in this year's American Bar Association spring antitrust meeting, where one key takeaway included news that the Federal Trade Commission's anticipated changes to the Hart-Scott-Rodino form may be less dramatic than many originally feared, say attorneys at Freshfields.
-
The Future Of BIPA Insurance Litigation After Visual Pak
A recent Illinois appellate court decision, National Fire Insurance v. Visual Pak, may have altered the future of insurance litigation under the state's Biometric Information Privacy Act by diametrically opposing a prominent Seventh Circuit ruling that found insurance coverage for violations of the act, say attorneys at Jenner & Block.
-
Series
Whitewater Kayaking Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Whether it's seeing clients and their issues from a new perspective, or staying nimble in a moment of intense challenge, the lessons learned from whitewater kayaking transcend the rapids of a river and prepare attorneys for the courtroom and beyond, says Matthew Kent at Alston & Bird.
-
3 Lessons From Family Dollar's Record $41.7M Guilty Plea
Family Dollar's recent plea deal in connection with a rodent infestation at one of its distribution facilities — resulting in the largest ever monetary criminal penalty in a food safety case — offers key takeaways for those practicing in the interconnected fields of compliance, internal investigations and white collar defense, says Jonathan Porter at Husch Blackwell.
-
This Earth Day, Consider How Your Firm Can Go Greener
As Earth Day approaches, law firms and attorneys should consider adopting more sustainable practices to reduce their carbon footprint — from minimizing single-use plastics to purchasing carbon offsets for air travel — which ultimately can also reduce costs for clients, say M’Lynn Phillips and Lisa Walters at IMS Legal Strategies.
-
Opinion
Anti-DEI Complaints Filed With EEOC Carry No Legal Weight
Recently filed complaints against several companies' diversity, equity and inclusion programs alleging unlawful discrimination against white people do not require a response from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and should not stop employers from rooting out ongoing discriminatory practices, says former EEOC general counsel David Lopez.
-
Back Labels In False Ad Cases Get Some Clarity In 9th Circ.
Courts in the Ninth Circuit have recently delivered a series of wins to advertisers, making clear that any ambiguity on the front of a product's package can be resolved by reference to the back label — which guarantees defendants a powerful tool to combat deceptive labeling claims, say attorneys at Patterson Belknap.
-
Employers Beware Of NLRB Changes On Bad Faith Bargaining
Recent National Labor Relations Board decisions show a trend of the agency imposing harsher remedies on employers for bad faith bargaining over union contracts, a position upheld in the Ninth Circuit's recent NLRB v. Grill Concepts Services decision, says Daniel Johns at Cozen O'Connor.
-
Practicing Law With Parkinson's Disease
This Parkinson’s Awareness Month, Adam Siegler at Greenberg Traurig discusses his experience working as a lawyer with Parkinson’s disease, sharing both lessons on how to cope with a diagnosis and advice for supporting colleagues who live with the disease.
-
EU Ruling Exposes Sovereignty Fissures In Int'l Arbitration
The European Court of Justice's recent ruling that the U.K. had breached EU law by allowing an arbitral award to proceed underscores the diminished influence of EU jurisprudence in the U.K., hinting at the EU courts' increasingly nominal sway in international arbitration within jurisdictions that prize legal autonomy, says Josep Galvez at 4-5 Gray’s Inn.
-
The Merger Cases That Will Matter At ABA Antitrust Meeting
While the American Bar Association's Antitrust Spring Meeting this week will cover all types of competition law issues in the U.S. and abroad, expect the federal agencies' recent track record in merger enforcement to be a key area of focus on the official panels and in cocktail party chatter, say attorneys at Freshfields.
-
Series
Playing Hockey Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Nearly a lifetime of playing hockey taught me the importance of avoiding burnout in all aspects of life, and the game ultimately ended up providing me with the balance I needed to maintain success in my legal career, says John Riccione at Taft.
-
9th Circ. TM Ruling Expands Courts' Role In Application Cases
The Ninth Circuit’s recent ruling in BBK Tobacco v. Central Coast Agriculture is the first time a federal appeals court has explicitly authorized district courts to adjudicate pending trademark applications, marking a potentially significant expansion of federal courts' power, says Saul Cohen at Kelly IP.
-
For Lawyers, Pessimism Should Be A Job Skill, Not A Life Skill
A pessimistic mindset allows attorneys to be effective advocates for their clients, but it can come with serious costs for their personal well-being, so it’s crucial to exercise strategies that produce flexible optimism and connect lawyers with their core values, says Krista Larson at Stinson.
-
Opinion
Requiring Leave To File Amicus Briefs Is A Bad Idea
A proposal to amend the Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure that would require parties to get court permission before filing federal amicus briefs would eliminate the long-standing practice of consent filing and thereby make the process less open and democratic, says Lawrence Ebner at the Atlantic Legal Foundation and DRI Center.