Hospitality

  • June 18, 2024

    Starbucks Among Eateries Facing IP Suits Over Ordering Tech

    Starbucks, Denny's and three other restaurants are the latest to face a patent-licensing company's lawsuits in Texas for allegedly infringing a patent that lets customers place mobile orders on an app or website using a real-time menu that can make personalized suggestions.

  • June 18, 2024

    Lender Sues To Recoup $1M From Renowned Boston Chef

    A small Massachusetts bank is taking an award-winning Boston chef and restaurateur to court in an effort to recover more than $1 million in loans intended to start what turned out to be a short-lived eatery just outside the city in 2023.

  • June 18, 2024

    Korean Airline Can't Get $50M Catering Award Nixed

    A California judge has enforced a $50 million arbitral award issued to a catering company following a dispute with South Korea's Asiana Airlines, rejecting an argument that the award couldn't be enforced because the underlying contract was tainted by corruption.

  • June 17, 2024

    NFL Commish Goodell Takes Stand To Deny TV Price Controls

    NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell testified Monday in front of a California federal jury considering multibillion-dollar antitrust claims against the league that the NFL does not control the price of DirecTV's Sunday Ticket with any secret deals, insisting instead that the broadcast strategy is shouted "from the mountaintops."

  • June 17, 2024

    Disney Cruise Says Ex-Worker Must Arbitrate In London

    Disney Cruise Lines has told a Florida federal court that a Honduran ex-employee who was fired for twice testing positive for marijuana must arbitrate his wrongful termination claim in London.

  • June 17, 2024

    Bouncer Admits To Promoting Prostitution After $5.7M Sting

    A 41-year-old bouncer at a Connecticut strip club pled guilty Monday to facilitating prostitution and received a promise from the prosecution to recommend a reduced sentence as authorities press separate cases against a club boss who allegedly hid $5.7 million in income without reporting it to the Internal Revenue Service.

  • June 17, 2024

    Insurers Ask 6th Circ. To Undo $13.3M Murder Coverage Loss

    Two Liberty Mutual units said their insurers must reimburse them for a $13.3 million judgment stemming from a murder in a Florida motel, urging the Sixth Circuit on Monday to toss a lower court's ruling that a demand letter in the underlying suit didn't constitute a claim for bad faith.

  • June 17, 2024

    High Court Won't Hear Florida Gaming Compact Dispute

    The U.S. Supreme Court declined Monday to take up two casino operators' petition to overturn a sports gaming compact between the state of Florida and the Seminole Tribe that allows for online betting off tribal lands.

  • June 14, 2024

    Blistering Dissents Belie Justices' Penchant For Consensus

    Thirteen days into June, the U.S. Supreme Court had recorded one of the highest rates of unanimous decisions in the past four decades. But the era of historic consensus was tarnished a bit Friday when the court issued three split decisions and two scathing dissents highlighting how much the nine justices differ.

  • June 14, 2024

    Colo. Town Says It Took Resort Co.'s Land To Protect Sheep

    A Colorado town has told a state appeals court it was justified in condemning and taking over local land that was owned by The Vail Corp. because the town needed to preserve wildlife space for a bighorn sheep herd.

  • June 14, 2024

    Insurer Seeks Quick Exit In Casino $130M COVID Loss Suit

    The insurer of a casino operator with properties on the Las Vegas strip and beyond told a Nevada federal judge to toss a $130 million COVID-19 pandemic loss coverage suit, arguing it had already paid $1 million — the only benefits due under the all-risk policy.

  • June 14, 2024

    DOJ Can't Force Retroactive FARA Registration, DC Circ. Says

    The U.S. Department of Justice can't force casino magnate Steve Wynn to retroactively register as a foreign agent because his alleged lobbying efforts on behalf of China ended years ago, a D.C. Circuit panel ruled Friday.

  • June 14, 2024

    Off The Bench: Ex-Players Claim NIL, Loss For Trans Swimmer

    In this week's Off The Bench, the 1983 men's college basketball champions want a piece of the loot the NCAA made off of their names, swimmer Lia Thomas loses in her bid to overturn an international trans athlete ban, and the House gets a bill through committee that would keep college athletes from becoming employees.

  • June 14, 2024

    Burford Bound To Sysco And Pilgrim's Unsigned Chicken Deal

    An Illinois federal judge on Friday rejected a Burford subsidiary's bid to block a global protein price-fixing settlement that Pilgrim's Pride and Sysco memorialized through email but never signed on paper, saying it's clear the parties reached a material agreement.

  • June 14, 2024

    No Retroactive Fix For US Trustee Fee Dispute, Justices Say

    The U.S. Supreme Court sided with the U.S. Trustee's Office on Friday in finding that an amended fee structure implemented before a 2022 ruling that struck down a nonuniform system of payments was all that was needed to resolve the disparate treatment of debtors under the unconstitutional law.

  • June 13, 2024

    DirecTV's 'NFL Tax' Gouged Sunday Ticket Buyers, Jury Told

    DirecTV gouged its Sunday Ticket subscribers by charging 24.6% above the "optimal price" it should have charged if the company was looking to maximize its profits instead of instituting an "NFL tax," an economist told a California federal jury considering multibillion-dollar antitrust claims against the league on Thursday.

  • June 13, 2024

    Lil Uzi Vert Owes Production Co. Over $500K, Suit Says

    A California-based music touring company has accused rapper Lil Uzi Vert of stiffing the company of more than half a million dollars in unpaid fees for designing and producing the musician's concerts, according to a Georgia federal lawsuit filed Thursday.

  • June 13, 2024

    Theater Co. Cites Prior Ruling Against Cruise Biz In IP Suit

    A Louisiana theatrical production company is urging a Florida state court to rule in its favor on damages in a lawsuit alleging Celebrity Cruises Inc. continued to use intellectual property beyond licensing agreements, saying the issue was already ruled on in a previous lawsuit between the same parties.

  • 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

    Red Roof Had 'Revolving Door' For Trafficking, Ga. Jurors Told

    A former Red Roof Inn Inc. employee and the leader of a nonprofit testified Thursday about sex trafficking they saw take place at two metro Atlanta Red Roof Inn locations as part of a landmark civil trial in which 11 women allege the company knew trafficking was taking place at the locations and did nothing to stop it.

  • 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 12, 2024

    'Repugnant To Civility': Judge Rips, Yet Won't DQ Taft Stettinius

    A Michigan state judge slammed law firm Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP for keeping ex-client MGM in the dark about its merger with another firm and called Taft Stettinius' assertion MGM should have figured it out "repugnant to civility," but nonetheless said he wouldn't disqualify Taft Stettinius from representing MGM's opponent in an arbitration.

  • 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

    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 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.

Expert Analysis

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: The UK

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    Following Brexit, the U.K. has adopted a different approach to regulating environmental, social and governance factors from the European Union — an approach that focuses on climate disclosures by U.K.-regulated entities, while steering clear of the more ambitious objectives pursued by the EU, say attorneys at Dechert.

  • Tips For Litigating Against Pro Se Parties In Complex Disputes

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    Litigating against self-represented parties in complex cases can pose unique challenges for attorneys, but for the most part, it requires the same skills that are useful in other cases — from documenting everything to understanding one’s ethical duties, says Bryan Ketroser at Alto Litigation.

  • Pro Bono Work Is Powerful Self-Help For Attorneys

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    Oct. 22-28 is Pro Bono Week, serving as a useful reminder that offering free legal help to the public can help attorneys expand their legal toolbox, forge community relationships and create human connections, despite the challenges of this kind of work, says Orlando Lopez at Culhane Meadows.

  • Series

    Playing In A Rock Cover Band Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Performing in a classic rock cover band has driven me to hone several skills — including focus, organization and networking — that have benefited my professional development, demonstrating that taking time to follow your muse outside of work can be a boon to your career, says Michael Gambro at Cadwalader.

  • How Cos. Can Prioritize Accessibility Amid Increase In Suits

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    The U.S. Department of Justice's notice of proposed rulemaking on digital accessibility and recent legal proceedings regarding tester plaintiff standing in accessibility cases show websites and mobile apps are a growing focus, so businesses must proactively ensure digital content complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act, say attorneys at Hinckley Allen.

  • Series

    The Pop Culture Docket: Judge Espinosa On 'Lincoln Lawyer'

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    The murder trials in Netflix’s “The Lincoln Lawyer” illustrate the stark contrast between the ethical high ground that fosters and maintains the criminal justice system's integrity, and the ethical abyss that can undermine it, with an important reminder for all legal practitioners, say Judge Adam Espinosa and Andrew Howard at the Colorado 2nd Judicial District Court.

  • Calif. GHG Disclosure Law Will Affect Companies Worldwide

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    California's Climate Corporate Data Accountability Act, which will require comprehensive greenhouse gas emissions disclosures from large companies operating in the state, will mean compliance challenges for a wide range of industries, nationally and globally, as the law's requirements will ultimately trickle out and down, say attorneys at Brownstein Hyatt.

  • Return Days Key In Hyatt COVID-19 Layoffs Ruling

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    The Ninth Circuit’s recent decision in Hartstein v. Hyatt, which clarified when the hotel giant had to pay out accrued vacation time after pandemic-prompted temporary layoffs, highlights the importance of whether an employer specifies a return date within the normal pay period, say attorneys at ArentFox Schiff.

  • Opinion

    Newman Suspension Shows Need For Judicial Reform

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    The recent suspension of U.S. Circuit Judge Pauline Newman following her alleged refusal to participate in a disability inquiry reveals the need for judicial misconduct reforms to ensure that judges step down when they can no longer serve effectively, says Aliza Shatzman at The Legal Accountability Project.

  • A Look At Competition Enforcers' 2026 World Cup Game Plan

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    Ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, competition authorities of the host nations, the U.S., Mexico and Canada, have recently launched a joint initiative to police collusive schemes, setting an example for other countries' cross-border collaboration — so companies pursuing tournament opportunities should take note, say Carsten Reichel and Will Conway at Norton Rose.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: Japan

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    Japan is witnessing rapid developments in environmental, social and corporate governance policies by making efforts to adopt a soft law approach, which has been effective in encouraging companies to embrace ESG practices and address the diversity of boards of directors, say Akira Karasawa and Landry Guesdon at Iwata Godo.

  • How And Why Your Firm Should Implement Fixed-Fee Billing

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    Amid rising burnout in the legal industry and client efforts to curtail spending, pivoting to a fixed-fee billing model may improve client-attorney relationships and offer lawyers financial, logistical and stress relief — while still maintaining profit margins, say Kevin Henderson and Eric Pacifici at SMB Law Group.

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