Food & Beverage

  • October 07, 2024

    Attys Want $20M Fees For Netting $64M Tuna Price-Fixing Deal

    Attorneys representing a class of purchasers who sued several canned tuna producers have asked a California federal judge for nearly $20 million in fees and costs associated with their recently inked $64 million settlement, saying the award is fair considering the effort the case took to prosecute and the complexity of the deal.

  • October 07, 2024

    McDonald's Accuses Big Beef Of Price-Fixing

    McDonald's Corp. sued Cargill, JBS, National Beef Packing Co., Swift Beef Co., Tyson and several subsidiaries in New York federal court Friday, accusing the major meat processing and packing companies of conspiring to fix beef prices, resulting in higher costs for the fast food behemoth.

  • October 07, 2024

    Mich. Supreme Court Snapshot: Insulin Prices, Disney Audit

    The Michigan Supreme Court's first oral argument session of the 2024-25 term promises to be a busy one, involving an investigation into Eli Lilly's insulin prices with big implications for the scope of Michigan's consumer protection law and Disney's appeal of an order to turn over decades-old uncashed checks to the state treasurer.

  • October 07, 2024

    Decision In Jurisdictional Case 'Outlier,' High Court Told

    An attorney representing Royal Canin USA Inc. and Nestlé Purina PetCare Co. on Monday told the U.S. Supreme Court that a jurisdictional decision in a case over prescription dog food is both an "extreme outlier" and goes against more than a hundred years of precedent.

  • October 07, 2024

    Panera Settles 'Charged Lemonade' Death Case Days Before Trial

    Panera Bread has reached a confidential settlement in a wrongful death suit lodged by the parents of a University of Pennsylvania student who died after drinking the bakery café chain's now-discontinued Charged Lemonade, counsel for the parents told Law360 on Monday.

  • October 07, 2024

    Grocery Co. Won't Get High Court Review Of Gender Bias Suit

    The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday it won't review the revival of a gender bias case brought by a woman who said she was fired from her management role in a grocery store chain after her supervisor repeatedly said that management jobs were "too stressful" for women to handle.

  • October 07, 2024

    Target's '100% Pure' Avocado Oil Not So Pure, Suit Says

    Target customers hit the retailer with a putative class action in California federal court alleging its line of Good & Gather avocado oil is not 100% pure as the label suggests, and instead may contain additives like other lesser quality oils.

  • October 07, 2024

    Ball Corp. Unit Strikes Deal To End DOL Race Bias Probe

    A subsidiary of packaging company Ball Corp. will pay $309,000 after a U.S. Department of Labor probe found evidence that it favored white applicants for production technician jobs over Black workers, the DOL said Monday.

  • October 07, 2024

    Kirkland, Ropes Build $2B Take-Private Of Calif. Wine Maker

    Los Angeles-based private equity shop Butterfly Equity, led by Kirkland & Ellis LLP, on Monday announced plans to buy and take private Ropes & Gray LLP-advised North American luxury wine maker The Duckhorn Portfolio in an all-cash deal that values the company at roughly $1.95 billion.

  • October 07, 2024

    Justices Reject 5-Hour Energy's Attack On Unfair Pricing Test

    The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the maker of 5-Hour Energy's petition to review a Ninth Circuit test for deciding whether companies are in competition with one another in price discrimination cases Monday, allowing the circuit court's revival of a suit brought by wholesalers to stand.

  • October 07, 2024

    High Court Rejects Pleas To Hear 7 Patent Cases

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned down seven petitions seeking review of decisions in patent cases, including appeals dealing with double patenting, patent eligibility and Patent Trial and Appeal Board procedures.

  • October 04, 2024

    Top 5 Supreme Court Cases To Watch This Fall

    The U.S. Supreme Court will hear several cases in its October 2024 term that could further refine the new administrative law landscape, establish constitutional rights to gender-affirming care for transgender minors and affect how the federal government regulates water, air and weapons. Here, Law360 looks at five of the most important cases on the Supreme Court's docket so far.

  • October 04, 2024

    Mondelez, BCLP Ink $750K Deal To End Data Breach Suits

    Mondelez Global LLC workers on Friday asked an Illinois federal judge to greenlight a $750,000 settlement that would resolve proposed data privacy class actions against their employer and Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner LLP stemming from a 2023 data breach.

  • October 04, 2024

    What's Up In Oral Arguments In High Court Pet Food Case

    The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday will hear arguments in a case involving allegations that Royal Canin USA Inc. and Nestlé Purina PetCare Co. falsely represented their products as prescriptions belongs in state or federal court. Here, Law360 takes a look at what's at stake in this case.

  • October 04, 2024

    Hemp Org, Cheech & Chong Seek Halt Of Calif. Hemp Ban

    A leading hemp industry trade organization, along with the cannabis brand fronted by stoner comedians Cheech & Chong, have asked a Los Angeles state judge to halt enforcement of new California emergency regulations banning the sale of hemp products with THC.

  • October 04, 2024

    Iowa Farmer Wants Court To Nix Federal 'Swampbuster' Law

    A farmer pushed an Iowa federal court to overturn the "Swampbuster" part of a federal conservation program that aims to protect wetlands for public use, arguing that the law is unconstitutional.

  • October 04, 2024

    Kraft Heinz Sued In Ga. For Stealing Distributor Database

    The Kraft Heinz Co. has been slapped with a complaint in Georgia federal court accusing it of downloading hoards of information from an Atlanta-based company's database of international distributors and passing it off as its own to generate as much as $25 million in revenue, in breach of the company's licensing agreement.

  • October 04, 2024

    EPA Finalizes Stronger Pesticide Rules For Farmworker Safety

    The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized a rule strengthening protections for agricultural workers who could be exposed to pesticides, standards that had been weakened by the Trump administration.

  • October 04, 2024

    Albertsons Inks $3.9M Overcharge Deal With Calif. DAs

    Albertsons and its affiliate companies have agreed to pay $3.9 million to settle a civil enforcement action accusing them of bilking shoppers by charging higher prices for grocery items than what was advertised, according to an announcement made by several California district attorneys. 

  • October 04, 2024

    NJ Diner Says It's No Longer Using Civil Rights Activist's Name

    The owners of a New Jersey diner being sued for using the former operator and civil rights activist's name in their branding has asked a New Jersey federal judge to toss a bid seeking to stop it from using the eponymous "Mr. G's" name, arguing the request is moot because they have closed the restaurant and have no plans to reopen.

  • October 04, 2024

    USDA Updates Regulation Without Labor Compliance Portion

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture filed a final rule Friday tweaking an acquisition regulation after nearly 30 years since a previous overhaul, but the rule doesn't include a proposal that would have required federal contractors to certify compliance with federal and state labor laws.

  • October 04, 2024

    Up First At High Court: Civil Rights, Ghost Guns, Atty Fees

    The U.S. Supreme Court reconvenes Monday to start a brand-new term, with the justices first hearing arguments related to prerequisites for litigating federal rights in state courts, ghost gun regulations, and whether a death row inmate is entitled to a new trial after a state admits that prosecutorial misconduct might have led to his conviction.

  • October 04, 2024

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

    This past week in London has seen GMB Union sued by the makers of Tetley Tea after a staff walkout in September, boxer Mike Tyson hit with legal action from a marketing company and the Met Police face a misuse of private data claim from a woman who had a relationship with an undercover police officer. Here, Law360 looks at these and other new claims in the U.K.

  • October 04, 2024

    Taxation With Representation: Gibson Dunn, Weil, Simpson

    In this week's Taxation with Representation, DirectTV buys EchoStar's video business for $10 billion, Marsh McLennan inks a $7.75 billion deal for McGriff Insurance, and PepsiCo closes a $1.2 billion deal to purchase Siete Foods.

  • October 03, 2024

    Red States Want H-2A Farmworker Rule Gone For Good

    More than a dozen Republican-led states are urging a Georgia federal judge to vacate a U.S. Department of Labor rule that would strengthen protections for foreign farmworkers within the H-2A visa program, arguing that the department clearly overstepped its authorities.

Expert Analysis

  • How A Bumblebee Got Under Calif. Wildlife Regulator's Bonnet

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    A California bumblebee's listing as an endangered species could lead to a regulatory quagmire as California Department of Fish and Wildlife permits now routinely include survey requirements for the bee, but the regulator has yet to determine what the species needs for conservation, says David Smith at Manatt.

  • Wiretap Use In Cartel Probes Likely To Remain An Exception

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    Although the U.S. Department of Justice's Antitrust Division has recently signaled interest in wiretaps, the use of this technology to capture evidence of antitrust conspiracies and pursue monopolization as a criminal matter has been rare historically, and is likely to remain so, say Carsten Reichel and Will Conway at DLA Piper.

  • Series

    Playing Chess Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    There are many ways that chess skills translate directly into lawyer skills, but for me, the bigger career lessons go beyond the direct parallels — playing chess has shown me the value of seeing gradual improvement in and focusing deep concentration on a nonwork endeavor, says attorney Steven Fink.

  • Litigation Inspiration: Attys Can Be Heroic Like Olympians

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    Although litigation won’t earn anyone an Olympic medal in Paris this summer, it can be worthy of the same lasting honor if attorneys exercise focused restraint — seeking both their clients’ interests and those of the court — instead of merely pursuing every advantage short of sanctionable conduct, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.

  • Lean Into The 'Great Restoration' To Retain Legal Talent

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    As the “great resignation,” in which employees voluntarily left their jobs in droves, has largely dissipated, legal employers should now work toward the idea of a “great restoration,” adopting strategies to effectively hire, onboard and retain top legal talent, says Molly McGrath at Hiring & Empowering Solutions.

  • Momofuku Chili War May Chill Common Phrase TM Apps

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    Momofuku’s recent trademark battle over the “Chili Crunch” mark shows that over-enforcement when protecting exclusivity rights may backfire not just in the public eye, but with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as well, says Anthony Panebianco at Davis Malm.

  • What The NYSE Proposed Delisting Rule Could Mean For Cos.

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    The New York Stock Exchange's recently proposed rule would provide the exchange with discretionary authority to commence delisting proceedings for a company substantially shifting its primary business focus, raising concerns for NYSE-listed companies over the exact definition of the exchange's proposed "substantially different" standard, say attorneys at Winston & Strawn.

  • Trademark In Artistic Works 1 Year After Jack Daniel's

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    In the year since the U.S. Supreme Court's Jack Daniel's v. VIP Products ruling, courts have applied Jack Daniel's inconsistently to deny First Amendment protection to artistic works, providing guidance for dismissing trademark claims relating to film and TV titles, say Hardy Ehlers and Neema Sahni at Covington.

  • Series

    Fishing Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Atop the list of ways fishing makes me a better lawyer is the relief it offers from the chronic stress of a demanding caseload, but it has also improved my listening skills and patience, and has served as an exceptional setting for building earnest relationships, says Steven DeGeorge​​​​​​​ at Robinson Bradshaw.

  • A Healthier Legal Industry Starts With Emotional Intelligence

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    The legal profession has long been plagued by high rates of mental health issues, in part due to attorneys’ early training and broader societal stereotypes — but developing one’s emotional intelligence is one way to foster positive change, collectively and individually, says attorney Esperanza Franco.

  • Calif. Web Tracking Cases Show Courts' Indecision Over CIPA

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    Several hundred cases filed to date, and two recent conflicting rulings, underscore California courts' uncertainty over whether the use of web analytics tools to track users' website interactions can give rise to a violation of the California Invasion of Privacy Act, says Patricia Brum at Snell & Wilmer.

  • To Make Your Legal Writing Clear, Emulate A Master Chef

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    To deliver clear and effective written advocacy, lawyers should follow the model of a fine dining chef — seasoning a foundation of pure facts with punchy descriptors, spicing it up with analogies, refining the recipe and trimming the fat — thus catering to a sophisticated audience of decision-makers, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Circuit Judge Writes An Opinion, AI Helps: What Now?

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    Last week's Eleventh Circuit opinion in Snell v. United Specialty Insurance, notable for a concurrence outlining the use of artificial intelligence to evaluate a term's common meaning, is hopefully the first step toward developing a coherent basis for the judiciary's generative AI use, says David Zaslowsky at Baker McKenzie.

  • 'Food As Health' Serves Up Fresh Legal Considerations

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    The growth of food as medicine presents a significant opportunity for healthcare organizations and nontraditional healthcare players to improve patient outcomes and reduce costs, though these innovative programs also bring compliance considerations that must be carefully navigated, say attorneys at McDermott.

  • After Years Of Popularity, PAGA's Fate Is Up In The Air

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    The last two years held important victories for plaintiff-side employment attorneys in California Private Attorneys General Act litigation at the trial and appellate court levels, but this hotbed of activity will quickly lose steam if voters approve a ballot measure in November to enact the California Fair Pay and Employer Accountability Act, says Paul Sherman at Kabat Chapman.

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