Food & Beverage

  • June 10, 2024

    Sen. Cassidy Releases Trade Facilitation Framework

    Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., released a policy document Monday outlining priority areas for a forthcoming bill to update U.S. customs law, emphasizing streamlined procedures and technology updates to speed up processing at the border.

  • June 10, 2024

    Fat Brands Faces Investor Suit Over $47M Loan Scheme

    Fat Brands and its executives face a proposed class action in California federal court alleging that they falsely claimed to be cooperating with governmental probes into their CEO's spending $47 million on company loans while skirting taxes, leading stock prices to plunge last month when criminal charges were announced.

  • June 10, 2024

    Fishermen Challenge Feds' Gulf Of Mexico Fishing Quotas

    The owners of a family fishing business are fighting the National Marine Fisheries Service's 80% cut to fishing quotas for gag grouper fish in the Gulf of Mexico, claiming the agency doesn't have the ability to lawfully approve the new rule.

  • June 10, 2024

    Unclaimed Property Group Backs Disney At Mich. High Court

    An unclaimed property holder trade organization urged the Michigan Supreme Court to affirm that the state waited too long to demand that Disney and a restaurant company remit unclaimed property, arguing that third-party auditors' lax oversight allowed examinations to languish beyond the statute of limitations.

  • June 10, 2024

    Ex-Sports Illustrated Publisher Countersues Owner In TM Row

    The former publisher of Sports Illustrated has filed a countersuit alleging that the magazine's owner, Authentic Brands Group, made it impossible to run the magazine and then conspired to install a competitor as the new publisher.

  • June 10, 2024

    Victims Of Chiquita-Funded Paramilitaries Win $38M Award

    The first bellwether trial in multidistrict litigation against Chiquita over its funding of right-wing paramilitaries in Colombia's banana-producing region ended with a victory Monday afternoon for nearly all the plaintiffs, as a Florida federal jury awarded them $38.3 million in damages for the losses of their loved ones killed by paramilitaries.

  • June 10, 2024

    Justices Skip Kroger's TM Feud With Grubhub Over Logo

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to review a Seventh Circuit finding that Grubhub Inc.'s fork-and-knife logo does not infringe a similar emblem used by Kroger's meal-kit delivery service Home Chef.

  • June 07, 2024

    NFL's Kraft Testifies 'Too Many' Sunday Ticket Sales Is Bad

    A California federal jury considering multi-billion dollar antitrust claims against the NFL brought by Sunday Ticket subscribers saw video deposition testimony Friday from New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, who said ensuring a high price for the television package is a league priority, and he would not want "too many" U.S. subscribers.

  • June 07, 2024

    Ill. Panel Revives Contribution Claim Over Tainted Cilantro

    An Illinois state appellate panel has revived a bid by a distributor of contaminated cilantro to have wholesalers contribute to any liability in litigation over the tainted product, saying the distributor did not have to comply with pre-suit notice requirements that would otherwise have applied to the case.

  • June 07, 2024

    Texas Farmers Sue EPA For 'Forever Chemical' Contamination

    Five Texas farmers have told a D.C. federal court that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency should have done more to stop "forever chemicals" from contaminating their farmland, claiming that they've suffered medical problems from the exposure.

  • June 07, 2024

    First Trial Over Chiquita Paramilitary Payments Goes To Jury

    A Florida federal jury on Friday began deliberating whether Chiquita is liable for several deaths at the hands of right-wing paramilitary organization Autodefensas Unidas de Colombia although deliberations paused in the afternoon and are scheduled to resume on Monday.

  • June 07, 2024

    High Court's 'Narrow' Jack Daniel's Opinion Having Big Impact

    When the U.S. Supreme Court decided a year ago that the maker of a squeaky dog toy that looks like a Jack Daniel’s whiskey bottle had no free speech protections against trademark infringement claims, the justices described their holding as narrow, but lawyers and academics are now suggesting the opinion is having broader implications.

  • June 07, 2024

    Brewery Wants Extra Damages For Co-Owner's 'Brazen' Theft

    A Colorado brewery accusing a former manager of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars has asked a state court for permission to seek exemplary damages, saying there's plenty of evidence the former manager willfully stole the money for himself and competing businesses he had a stake in.

  • June 07, 2024

    Pilgrim's Pride Largely Can't Pause Chicken Farmers' Suit

    An Oklahoma federal judge largely refused Friday to pause a lawsuit accusing Pilgrim's Pride of conspiring with other chicken producers to suppress farmer compensation while Pilgrim's appeals certification of over 24,000 farmers, finding it does not matter if the $2.77 billion damages claim might pressure the company to settle.

  • June 07, 2024

    Minn. Jury Convicts 5 In Food Aid Fraud Trial Marred By Bribe

    A Minnesota federal jury on Friday convicted five out of seven defendants on a litany of charges alleging they schemed to defraud a federal food aid program during the COVID-19 pandemic, days after one juror told of being offered a $120,000 bribe to vote for acquittal.

  • June 07, 2024

    Off The Bench: NFL On Trial, Betting Crackdowns, Tennis Suit

    In this week's Off The Bench, the NFL stands trial in a massive antitrust class action over its Sunday Ticket broadcast package, a series of sports betting crackdowns makes waves in the MLB and the NBA, and the U.S. Tennis Association denies any liability for a player's sexual assault by her coach.

  • June 07, 2024

    Justices Are Asked To Ax 9th Circ. Price Discrimination Test

    A retail trade association is coming to 5-Hour Energy's defense, calling for the U.S. Supreme Court to take up the energy drink-maker's petition challenging a 2023 Ninth Circuit ruling that revived claims from a group of wholesalers alleging that the company engaged in illegal price-fixing advantaging Costco.

  • June 07, 2024

    SEC Fines Asian Food Supplier $3.9M Over Splurging Ex-CEO

    The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has reached a $3.9 million settlement with HF Foods Group Inc. over claims that the food distributor issued false and misleading disclosures, just two days after the regulator settled with two HF Foods executives in a separate case over similar claims.

  • June 07, 2024

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

    The past week in London has seen British broadcaster GB News hit with a libel claim by climate activist Dale Vince, MGM take aim at an immersive events company over intellectual property rights to the James Bond franchise, and law firms Stephenson Harwood and Bowen-Morris & Partners tackle a contracts claim by investment adviser Yieldstreet. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • June 06, 2024

    NFL Sunday Ticket Is A Rigged Game, Antitrust Jury Told

    An attorney for NFL Sunday Ticket subscribers told a California jury Thursday during opening statements of a multibillion-dollar antitrust suit that secret documents will prove the NFL engaged in anticompetitive behavior, and the trial would reveal the "darker side of the NFL behind the shield."

  • June 06, 2024

    Real Water Caused 'Devastating' Hospitalizations, Jury Told

    A mother whose twin babies were hospitalized with acute liver failure after the family subscribed to water delivery service Real Water told a Nevada state jury Thursday that the experience was "devastating."

  • June 06, 2024

    FTC Says Kroger Hasn't Turned Over Promised Documents

    The Federal Trade Commission urged an administrative law judge on Tuesday to require Kroger to fork over documents related to negotiations for its divestiture plan amid the commission's in-house challenge to the grocer's merger with Albertsons, saying Kroger's prior representations that it would produce the materials "have proven false."

  • June 06, 2024

    Texas Court Revives Whataburger Customer's Injury Suit

    A Texas appellate court on Thursday refused to let Whataburger escape a lawsuit seeking to hold it liable for injuries a customer sustained after her arm was lacerated by a worker carrying a condiment tray, reinstating the customer's claims against the restaurant chain and paving the way for a trial.

  • June 06, 2024

    Victims Say Chiquita Paramilitary Payments Weren't Extortion

    Attorneys for the families of people killed by right-wing paramilitaries in Colombia's banana-producing region asked jurors Thursday for an amount totaling tens of millions of dollars in damages as they closed out their Florida federal case against Chiquita, arguing the company willingly funded paramilitary groups.

  • June 06, 2024

    Dollar Tree Mint's Injury To Toddler Not Covered, Insurer Says

    The insurer of a breath mint manufacturer told a Missouri federal court that due to a pollution exclusion in its policy, it shouldn't have to defend against a suit alleging a toddler suffered severe esophageal injuries after swallowing freshening drops sold by Dollar Tree.

Expert Analysis

  • AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier

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    Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World

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    As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: South Korea

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    Numerous ESG trends have materialized in South Korea in the past three years, with impacts ranging from greenwashing prevention and carbon neutrality measures to workplace harassment and board diversity initiatives, say Chang Wook Min and Hyun Chan Jung at Jipyong.

  • Employer Takeaways From 2nd Circ. Equal Pay Ruling

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    The Second Circuit 's recent decision in Eisenhauer v. Culinary Institute of America reversed a long-held understanding of the Equal Pay Act, ultimately making it easier for employers to defend against equal pay claims brought under federal law, but it is not a clear escape hatch for employers, say Thelma Akpan and Katelyn McCombs at Littler.

  • General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI

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    With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.

  • Rite Aid's Reasons For Ch. 11 Go Beyond Opioid Suits

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    Despite opioid-related lawsuits being the perceived reason that pushed Rite Aid into bankruptcy, the company's recent Chapter 11 filing reveals its tenuous position in the pharmaceutical retail market, and only time will tell whether bankruptcy will right-size the company, says Daniel Gielchinsky at DGIM Law.

  • Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.

  • Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD

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    Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • How Fla. Bankruptcy Ruling May Affect Equity Owners

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    A Florida bankruptcy court’s recent ruling in Vital Pharmaceuticals — which rejected the Third Circuit’s Majestic Star decision that determined a bankrupt corporation’s flow-through status was not protected by the automatic stay — may significantly affect how equity owners can mitigate the impact of flow-through structures in bankruptcy, say Eric Behl-Remijan and Natasha Hwangpo at Ropes & Gray.

  • M&A Ruling Buoys Loss Calculation Method, R&W Insurance

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    The recent Southern District of New York decision in Taylor Precision Products v. Larimer affirms the use of EBITDA as a basis to quantify loss, highlighting the potential shortcomings of a traditional seller indemnity compared to representation and warranty insurance, say Mark Schwartz at Lockton, and William O’Neil and Gretchen Scavo at Winston & Strawn.

  • How Consumer Complaints Can Help Companies

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    As seen most recently in Zoom's terms of service controversy, consumer complaints — despite initially seeming troubling for companies — can offer businesses the opportunity to identify, tackle and resolve budding challenges before those challenges escalate into larger issues, say Meghan Stoppel and Hannah Cornett at Cozen O'Connor.

  • Opinion

    Life Sciences Regulators Must Write Cloud-Specific Guidance

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    As cloud services continue to revolutionize the life sciences industry's ability to conduct regulated activities, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other regulators should update their data management policies to clearly support and encourage use of cloud technology, say Nate Brown and Marlee Gallant at Akin.

  • Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence

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    Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Analyzing The Legal Ripples Of The EPA's PFAS Regulation

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    As the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency makes major moves on its pledge to regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, the developing body of PFAS regulation will lead to an increase in litigation, and personal injury and product liability claims, say attorneys at Gordon & Rees.

  • The Growing Need For FLSA Private Settlement Rule Clarity

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    A Pennsylvania district court's recent ruling in Walker v. Marathon Petroleum echoes an interesting and growing trend of jurists questioning the need for — and legality of — judicial approval of private Fair Labor Standards Act settlements, which provides more options for parties to efficiently resolve their claims, says Rachael Coe at Moore & Van Allen.

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