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Food & Beverage

  • August 07, 2025

    ND Judge Strikes Down Fed's Debit Card Fee Regulation

    A North Dakota federal judge has invalidated the Federal Reserve's regulation limiting certain debit card fees charged in merchant transactions, ruling in favor of a truck stop and convenience store in finding that the Fed had attempted to "improperly repackag[e] the defunct-Chevron deference under a different name."

  • August 07, 2025

    Colo. Court Backs Landlord's Right To 'Fees On Fees'

    In the first Colorado appellate decision to consider whether a prevailing party may recover attorney fees incurred to enforce a contractual fee-shifting provision, a state appellate panel ruled Thursday that a Denver coffee shop's landlord is entitled to an award of such fees.

  • August 07, 2025

    Connecticut Litigation Highlights In The 1st Half Of 2025

    Two separate royalty disputes — one $90 million, the other $4 million — involving two giants in the alcoholic beverages market are among the top corporate cases that crossed Connecticut court dockets in the first half of 2025.

  • August 07, 2025

    Bacardi Can't Stymie Rum TM Renewal, USPTO Tells 4th Circ.

    The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office told the Fourth Circuit its former director was right to renew a Cuban company's expired trademark registration for Havana Club rum after the company got retroactive approval to pay the registration fee, even if beverage giant Bacardi said it was too late.

  • August 07, 2025

    Wawa Beats Injury Suit Appeal Despite Deleted Footage

    The Pennsylvania Superior Court upheld a trial win for Wawa Inc. in a personal injury lawsuit, rejecting the plaintiff's argument that the judge should have given an adverse inference instruction to the jury because of Wawa's alleged failure to preserve surveillance video footage from the day of the accident.

  • August 07, 2025

    NC Biz Court Bulletin: Divorce Dust-Ups And Judicial Rebukes

    Litigation in the North Carolina Business Court is heating up this summer with new complaints centered on fears a former state politician's divorce proceedings will impede his companies' operations and accusations that a climate technology company has failed to pay out a former engineer's ownership interest.

  • August 06, 2025

    Baker Botts Atty Seeks To Trim Patent Exec's Defamation Suit

    A Baker Botts LLP intellectual property litigator has urged a Florida federal judge to trim a patent licensing company executive's lawsuit alleging she made defamatory statements about him in news articles, saying some of the claims come too late, and others don't have a basis in facts.

  • August 06, 2025

    Colo. Judge Tosses Kroger Chain's Claims Against Union

    A Colorado federal judge threw out a suit by a Kroger-owned grocery chain against a United Food and Commercial Workers local on Wednesday, finding the company didn't plausibly allege the union committed coercion when it called a strike.

  • August 06, 2025

    Calif. Water Toxicity Test Flouts Federal Law, Court Rules

    A California state appeals court has barred state regulators from requiring wastewater entities to use a new water pollution test for discharge permits, but said the Golden State's adoption of new toxicity provisions was proper under state law.

  • August 06, 2025

    Calif. Cow-Treatment Suit Covered By Ill. Deal, Farm Co. Says

    A Fairlife milk supplier that participated in a $21 million settlement of cow-mistreatment false advertising claims asked the Chicago federal judge overseeing that multidistrict litigation to halt a similar lawsuit in California, saying the Chicago deal already outlines a process for addressing the Golden State case's claims.

  • August 06, 2025

    Battle Lines Form Around Interior's Updated NEPA Rule

    The U.S. Department of the Interior is facing stiff resistance from green groups and blue states that oppose its new environmental review process for infrastructure projects, but some industry groups said the agency has taken the right approach.

  • August 06, 2025

    Judge Questions USDA's Climate Grant Cuts

    A D.C. federal judge grilled an attorney for the federal government over why the U.S. Department of Agriculture's climate-focused grants for farmers and food nonprofits were rescinded en masse when they seemingly aligned with the program, but also told recipients that she won't be "rearranging" the agency's priorities.

  • August 06, 2025

    Anheuser-Busch, Hard Seltzer Co. End $90M Contract Feud

    Anheuser-Busch and alcoholic seltzer producer Boathouse Beverages LLC's holding company have dropped claims against one another in a multimillion-dollar Connecticut contract dispute over a product line the beverage giant purchased in 2016.

  • August 06, 2025

    Steakhouse Can't Shake Certified Class In Conn. Wage Suit

    A class of tipped servers accusing a steakhouse at the Foxwoods Resort Casino of unpaid wages will stay in place, a Connecticut state judge ruled, saying that the employer overplayed a court's earlier decision finding that the workers didn't perform nonservice tasks.

  • August 06, 2025

    Honey Dew Says M&A Adviser Missed Fake $25M Letter

    Massachusetts-based regional coffee and donut chain Honey Dew says the investment banking firm it hired to find a buyer in 2018 would have learned that a $25 million "proof of funds" letter purporting to be from UBS was a forgery had it performed the expected due diligence.

  • August 05, 2025

    Fat Brands Shareholder Disputes Settle With $10M Payout

    Fat Brands Inc.'s chairman and some of the restaurant franchising company's former directors announced Tuesday they agreed to settle a pair of shareholder derivative lawsuits pending in Delaware's Chancery Court that alleged breaches of fiduciary duties concerning a 2020 merger and a 2021 recapitalization.

  • August 05, 2025

    Grocery Chain Ralphs Wins $7M Employment Bias Trial

    A California jury cleared Kroger-owned Ralphs Grocery Co. of liability in a Muslim worker's $7 million bias suit after hearing that the worker simply refused to use the scheduling software to keep his Saturdays free for religious activities and that he had been suspended multiple times for insubordination.

  • August 05, 2025

    Walmart's $2.6M Fall Injury Verdict Not Excessive, Court Affirms

    A California appeals court has affirmed a $2.6 million award in a suit accusing Walmart of causing a customer's devastating hamstring injury in a fall, saying the verdict was not excessive given the evidence.

  • August 05, 2025

    Fed. Circ. Presses Brita On Bid To Revive Water Filter Patent

    A Federal Circuit panel Tuesday questioned Brita LP's effort to reverse a U.S. International Trade Commission decision that a water filter patent is invalid, suggesting the patent describes little more than an unpredictable scientific formula.

  • August 05, 2025

    Food Co. Can't Exit Suit By Vendor Worker With Severe Burns

    A South Carolina federal judge refused Tuesday to toss a suit seeking to hold Sauer Brands liable for severe chemical burns suffered by an EcoLab worker who was servicing machinery at a food plant, saying workers' compensation immunity doesn't apply.

  • August 05, 2025

    Ga. Poultry Co. Says Insurer Must Cover Data Breach Suits

    A poultry producer said it is entitled to coverage for underlying class actions stemming from a data breach that compromised its employees' personal information, telling a Georgia federal court that its insurer has wrongfully denied coverage based on what the insurer alleges was inadequate notice.

  • August 05, 2025

    Advocacy Org. Wants FTC's Full, Dropped Pepsi Complaint

    The Federal Trade Commission's price discrimination complaint against Pepsi could become public after all, despite the agency dropping the lawsuit, after a New York federal judge on Tuesday permitted an advocacy group to intervene in the case in order to seek the full, unredacted filing.

  • August 05, 2025

    Boston Firm Adds Former Panera, Dunkin' Brands Counsel

    Boston-based Rubin and Rudman LLP hired the former legal counsel of Panera Bread Co. and Dunkin' Brands for an "of counsel" role on the firm's real estate team, the firm announced Tuesday.

  • August 05, 2025

    Meet FDA Chief Counsel Sean Keveney

    The new top attorney at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, described as a "tremendous technical lawyer," rose through the ranks as a federal prosecutor before helping lead President Donald Trump's confrontation with elite universities this year.

  • August 05, 2025

    Gas Breaks Can't Justify Russian Fertilizer Duties, Fed. Circ. Told

    The federal government improperly concluded that EuroChem's Russian imports to the U.S. were subject to countervailing duties because of natural gas subsidies those products benefited from, counsel representing the company told the Federal Circuit during oral arguments Tuesday.

Expert Analysis

  • Despite Rule Delay, FTC Scrutiny Looms For Subscriptions

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    Even though the Federal Trade Commission has delayed its click-to-cancel rule that introduces strict protocols for auto-renewing subscriptions, businesses should expect active enforcement of the new requirements after July, and look to the FTC's recent lawsuits against Uber and Cleo AI as warnings, say attorneys at Holland & Knight.

  • Va.'s Altered Surcharge Law Poses Constitutional Questions

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    Virginia's recently amended consumer protection law requiring sellers to display the total price rather than expressly prohibiting surcharges follows New York's recent revision of its antisurcharge statute and may raise similar First Amendment questions, says attorneys at Stinson.

  • Series

    Volunteering At Schools Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Speaking to elementary school students about the importance of college and other opportunities after high school — especially students who may not see those paths reflected in their daily lives — not only taught me the importance of giving back, but also helped to sharpen several skills essential to a successful legal practice, says Guillermo Escobedo at Constangy.

  • 5 Open Questions About FDA's AI-Assisted Review Plans

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    The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently touted the completion of a generative artificial intelligence program for scientific reviewers and plans for agencywide deployment to speed up reviews of premarket applications, but there is considerable uncertainty surrounding the tools' ability to protect trade secrets, avoid bias and more, say attorneys at King & Spalding.

  • Attacks On Judicial Independence Tend To Manifest In 3 Ways

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    Attacks on judicial independence now run the gamut from gross (bald-faced interference) to systemic (structural changes) to insidious (efforts to undermine public trust), so lawyers, judges and the public must recognize the fateful moment in which we live and defend the rule of law every day, says Jim Moliterno at Washington and Lee University.

  • Dissecting House And Senate's Differing No-Tax-On-Tips Bills

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    Employers should understand how the House and Senate versions of no-tax-on-tips bills differ — including in the scope of related deductions and reporting requirements — to meet any new compliance obligations and communicate with their employees, say attorneys at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Compliance Refresher For 'Made In USA' Labeling Claims

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    As tariffs reshape the trade landscape, companies hoping to invoke the powerful consumer appeal of “Made in USA” labels must understand the strict rules for making acceptable claims so they avoid the costly legal ramifications and brand damage possible from misrepresenting products as 100% American, say attorneys at Morgan Lewis.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Appreciating Civil Procedure

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    If you’re like me, law school’s often complex and theoretical approach to teaching civil procedure may have contributed to an early struggle with the topic, but when seen from a practical perspective, new lawyers may find they enjoy mastering these rules, says Chloe Villagomez at Foster Garvey.

  • Appellate Guidance Needed On California Chatbot Litigation

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    There is wide variation in how courts are applying the California Invasion of Privacy Act against website owners that allegedly help third parties spy on visitors via chatbots — and the lack of appellate rulings creates uncertainty, especially as these cases move toward the summary judgment stage, say attorneys at Crowell & Moring.

  • Calif. Bar Exam Fiasco Shows Why Attys Must Disclose AI Use

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    The recent revelation that a handful of questions from the controversial California bar exam administered in February were drafted using generative artificial intelligence demonstrates the continued importance of disclosure for attorneys who use AI tools, say attorneys at Troutman.

  • In 2nd Place, Va. 'Rocket Docket' Remains Old Reliable

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    The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia was again one of the fastest civil trial courts in the nation last year, and an interview with the court’s newest judge provides insights into why it continues to soar, says Robert Tata at Hunton.

  • How Attorneys Can Become Change Agents For Racial Equity

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    As the administration targets diversity, equity and inclusion efforts and law firms consider pulling back from their programs, lawyers who care about racial equity and justice can employ four strategies to create microspaces of justice, which can then be parlayed into drivers of transformational change, says Susan Sturm at Columbia Law School.

  • Robinson-Patman Enforcement May Fizzle Out After PepsiCo

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    After securing an early Robinson-Patman Act victory against the largest wine and spirits distributor in the U.S., the Federal Trade commission's voluntary dismissal of its own enforcement action against PepsiCo throws into doubt the future of the federal statute that prohibits price discrimination and other anticompetitive practices, say attorneys at V&E.

  • Series

    Running Marathons Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    After almost five years of running marathons, I’ve learned that both the race itself and the training process sharpen skills that directly translate to the practice of law, including discipline, dedication, endurance, problem-solving and mental toughness, says Lauren Meadows at Swift Currie.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Supporting A Trial Team

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    While students often practice as lead trial attorneys in law school, such an opportunity likely won’t arise until a few years into practice, so junior associates should focus on honing skills that are essential to supporting a trial team, including organization, adaptability and humility, says Lucy Zelina at Tucker Ellis.

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