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Food & Beverage

  • June 06, 2025

    Frito-Lay Sun Chips Not 100% Whole Grain, False Ad Suit Says

    Frito-Lay's brand of Sun Chips are deceptively labeled as containing "100% Whole Grain," despite the fact the products contain maltodextrin derived from corn, which is a highly refined grain stripped of important nutrients amid the refining process, alleges a proposed class action filed in California federal court.

  • June 06, 2025

    4th Circ. Stays Ruling Restoring Frozen Federal Grant Funding

    A split Fourth Circuit panel has blocked a South Carolina federal judge's order directing the federal government to restore 32 congressionally funded grants that were frozen by the Trump administration, while casting doubt on nonprofits' and cities' legal challenge.

  • June 05, 2025

    USDA Sued Over Ending 600 Grants Via Flawed Form Letters

    A group of environmental and food sustainability nonprofits hit the U.S. Department of Agriculture with a lawsuit in D.C. federal court Thursday, accusing the Trump administration of unconstitutionally exceeding its authority by abruptly rescinding nearly 600 grants via "minimally edited form letters" that had errors and lacked detailed explanations.

  • June 05, 2025

    Poultry Workers Get Final OK On $398M Wage-Fixing Deals

    A Maryland federal judge granted final approval Thursday to settlements worth nearly $400 million for poultry processing workers who claimed that the nation's biggest chicken producers conspired to suppress their wages.

  • June 05, 2025

    Starbucks Can't Scotch $50M Verdict For Tea-Scorched Driver

    A California judge has affirmed a jury verdict awarding $50 million to a gig economy driver who suffered a severely burned penis after scalding hot tea spilled in his lap due to a Starbucks worker's negligence, saying the verdict was not excessive given his "horrific injuries."

  • June 05, 2025

    Ga. Court Nixes 'Massive' $65M Punitive Award In Fraud Case

    The Georgia Court of Appeals on Thursday struck down $65 million in punitive damages awarded to a doctor who was defrauded of his investments in a series of restaurants, ruling that the verdict was "grossly excessive" at more than 100 times the value of the compensatory damages awarded by a state court jury.

  • June 05, 2025

    Spice Co. Hid Lead Levels In Products, Suit Claims

    Florida-based Badia Spices sold ground ginger and cinnamon with elevated levels of lead, according to a New York federal lawsuit that leans on laboratory testing conducted by state food safety regulators.

  • June 05, 2025

    Hooters Closes Locations As It Pursues Ch. 11 Franchise Shift

    Bankrupt casual dining chain Hooters of America began shuttering dozens of restaurant locations throughout the United States Wednesday as it pursues a Chapter 11 restructuring that will see its plan disclosure statement up for approval next week.

  • June 05, 2025

    USDA Sued Over $13M Food Aid Cut In Pennsylvania

    Pennsylvania sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture for pulling $13 million in funds meant for a local food purchase assistance program, telling a federal judge that the decision will have a "devastating effect" on the state's farmers and food banks contrary to the department's mission.

  • June 05, 2025

    KFC Parent Co. Fights $4B IRS Bill In Tax Court

    The parent company of Pizza Hut, KFC and Taco Bell is challenging $2.5 billion in taxes and penalties that the IRS claims it owes for a corporate reorganization to restructure its international operations, according to a U.S. Tax Court petition served Thursday, a figure that has topped $4 billion with interest.

  • June 05, 2025

    Davis Wright Adds Coblentz Patch Wine Industry Expert In SF

    Davis Wright Tremaine LLP is expanding its food and beverage team, bringing in a Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass LLP transactional attorney specializing in the wine and hospitality industry as a partner in its San Francisco office.

  • June 04, 2025

    Starbucks' Legal Chief Exits Amid Organizational Changes

    Starbucks's top attorney Brad Lerman will be exiting the company in the coming months while helping the coffee giant search for his replacement as chief legal officer, the company announced Thursday in its U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission paperwork. 

  • June 04, 2025

    Contractor Calls Migrant Workers To Its Aid In Trafficking Trial

    Several migrant workers for a farm labor contracting company testified they weren't forced to turn over their passports or work 20-hour days as the company sought to defend itself against human trafficking claims before a Michigan federal jury on Wednesday.

  • June 04, 2025

    Cheesesteak Icon Asks 3rd Circ. If Loper Bright Slices Sentence

    Counsel for a Philadelphia cheesesteak shop owner seeking a lighter sentence for paying employees off the books told the court Wednesday that he has asked the Third Circuit to consider how the U.S. Supreme Court's landmark decision striking longstanding agency deference framework might affect his case.

  • June 04, 2025

    Full 4th Circ. Asked To Rethink Copter Pilot's Death Suit

    Farmers accused of negligently allowing a crop-dusting pilot to fly into a steel cable stretched across a property are urging the full Fourth Circuit to release them from a lawsuit filed by the pilot's widow, arguing that, as nonpilots, they had no way of foreseeing aerial hazards.

  • June 04, 2025

    Albright Ends Traxcell's Patent Cases Targeting Grubhub, Lyft

    U.S. District Judge Alan Albright has tossed a pair of lawsuits accusing Grubhub and Lyft of infringing a Traxcell Technologies wireless network system patent, saying the patent owner failed to show that either the food ordering service or ride-hailing company actually uses the system.

  • June 04, 2025

    DOJ Won't Have To Give Agri Stats Specific Data Fields

    A Minnesota federal court refused to force the U.S. Department of Justice to identify specific data fields in industry reports produced by Agri Stats that allegedly allow meat processors to share sensitive information, finding the case is not centered on individual data points.

  • June 04, 2025

    Pa. Brewery Co-Owner Claims Fraud Against Jailed Partner

    A Pittsburgh-area business owner currently jailed for insurance and bankruptcy fraud is also accused of defrauding his former partner in a brewery and restaurant, including hiding the fact that the building the partner was renovating and living in was actually condemned, according to a lawsuit filed in state court.

  • June 04, 2025

    Agent Seeks Toss Of Insurer's $1M Reinsurance Loss Suit

    An insurance company's suit alleging that an insurance agent's errors cost the company its reinsurance through the Federal Crop Insurance Corp. should be tossed, the agent told a Michigan federal court, arguing that the claims are time-barred and have already been litigated.

  • June 04, 2025

    Post Reacquiring Brands Including Ronzoni Pasta For $880M

    Post Holdings Inc. has agreed to acquire 8th Avenue Food & Provisions Inc. in a transaction valued at approximately $880 million, including the assumption of debt, as the packaged goods company looks to expand in private label and dry grocery categories — and brings several legacy assets back under its control.

  • June 03, 2025

    Calif. Suffers Setback In Tariff Suit, But Gets Shot At 9th Circ.

    A California federal judge said Monday that the U.S. Court of International Trade has exclusive jurisdiction over California's lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump's recent tariffs, but declined the federal government's request to transfer the case to the CIT and instead dismissed the suit so that California can appeal her decision to the Ninth Circuit.

  • June 03, 2025

    Profs Back Shinnecock Tribe In Long Island Fishing Rights Suit

    A group of law and history professors have backed the Shinnecock Indian Nation in three tribal members' lawsuit claiming New York state and Suffolk County wrongly engaged in a pattern of criminal prosecutions against them for fishing in waters where they have aboriginal rights to fish.

  • June 03, 2025

    Kellogg Tells L'eggo Food Truck To Leggo 'Eggo' Trademark

    Kellogg North America Co. LLC lodged a trademark infringement suit Tuesday against an Ohio food truck called "L'eggo My Eggroll," claiming that the business not only refused to stop infringing, its owners also threatened Kellogg and demanded that it buy its entire business.

  • June 03, 2025

    Egg Producer Beats Suit Over Salmonella Contamination

    Amish egg producer Milo's Poultry Farms LLC has beaten a proposed class action accusing it of selling eggs tainted with salmonella, after a Wisconsin federal judge ruled Tuesday there is no plausible way a batch of eggs worth less than $100,000 could result in more than $5 million in damages.

  • June 03, 2025

    PepsiCo's Popcorners Bags Not Filled To Corners, Buyer Says

    PepsiCo illegally slack fills its Popcorners corn snack product bags without a legitimate purpose, tricking customers into thinking the package contains more product than it does and essentially making them pay for empty space, according to a proposed class action filed Sunday in California federal court. 

Expert Analysis

  • Opinion

    Lawsuits Shouldn't Be Shadow Assets For Foreign Capital

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    Third-party litigation financing amplifies inefficiencies from litigation and facilitates national exposure to foreign influence in the U.S. justice system, so full disclosure of financing arrangements should be required as a matter of institutional integrity, says Roland Eisenhuth at the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

  • How To Accelerate Your Post-Attorney Career Transition

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    Professionals seeking to transition to nonattorney careers may encounter skepticism as nontraditional candidates, but there are opportunities for thought leadership and to leverage speaking and writing to accelerate a post-attorney career transition, say Janet Falk at Falk Communications and Evgeny Efremkin at Toronto Metropolitan University.

  • Series

    Law School's Missed Lessons: Be An Indispensable Associate

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    While law school teaches you to research, write and think critically, it often overlooks the professional skills you will need to make yourself an essential team player when transitioning from a summer to full-time associate, say attorneys at Stinson.

  • Series

    Birding Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    Observing and documenting birds in their natural habitats fosters patience, sharpens observational skills and provides moments of pure wonder — qualities that foster personal growth and enrich my legal career, says Allison Raley at Arnall Golden.

  • HHS Directive Could Overhaul Food Ingredient Safety Rules

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    If the U.S. Food and Drug Administration eliminates the self-affirmed pathway that allows food ingredients to be used without premarket approval, per the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' directive, it would be a sea change for the food industry and the food-contact material industry, say attorneys at K&L Gates.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From DOJ Leadership To BigLaw

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    The move from government service to private practice can feel like changing one’s identity, but as someone who has left the U.S. Department of Justice twice, I’ve learned that a successful transition requires patience, effort and the realization that the rewards of practicing law don’t come from one particular position, says Richard Donoghue at Pillsbury.

  • Law Firm Executive Orders Create A Legal Ethics Minefield

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    Recent executive orders targeting BigLaw firms create ethical dilemmas — and raise the specter of civil or criminal liability — for the government attorneys tasked with implementing them and for the law firms that choose to make agreements with the administration, say attorneys at Buchalter.

  • Trade Policy Shifts Raise Hurdles For Gov't And Cos. Alike

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    The persistent tension between the Trump administration's fast-moving and aggressive trade policies and the compliance-heavy nature of the trade industry creates implementation challenges for both the business community and the government, says Sara Schoenfeld at Kamerman.

  • Firms Must Embrace Alternative Billing Models Or Fall Behind

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    As artificial intelligence tools eliminate inefficiencies and the Big Four accounting firms enter the legal market, law firms that pivot from the entrenched billable hour model to outcomes-based pricing will see a distinct competitive advantage, says attorney William Brewer.

  • How Attorneys Can Master The Art Of On-Camera Presence

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    As attorneys are increasingly presented with on-camera opportunities, they can adapt their traditional legal skills for video contexts — such as virtual client meetings, marketing content or media interviews — by understanding the medium and making intentional adjustments, says Kerry Barrett.

  • Series

    Baseball Fantasy Camp Makes Me A Better Lawyer

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    With six baseball fantasy experiences under my belt, I've learned time and again that I didn't make the wrong career choice, but I've also learned that baseball lessons are life lessons, and I'm a better lawyer for my time at St. Louis Cardinals fantasy camp, says Scott Felder at Wiley.

  • Series

    Adapting To Private Practice: From Fed. Prosecutor To BigLaw

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    Making the jump from government to private practice is no small feat, but, based on my experience transitioning to a business-driven environment after 15 years as an assistant U.S. attorney, it can be incredibly rewarding and help you become a more versatile lawyer, says Michael Beckwith at Dickinson Wright.

  • How Importers Can Minimize FCA Risks Of Tariff Mitigation

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    False Claims Act risks are inherent in many tariff mitigation strategies, making it important for importers to implement best practices to identify and report potential violations of import regulations before they escalate, says Samuel Finkelstein at LMD Trade Law.

  • Firms Still Have Lateral Market Advantage, But Risks Persist

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    Partner and associate mobility data from the fourth quarter of 2024 shows that we’re in a new, stable era of lateral hiring where firms have the edge, but leaders should proceed cautiously, looking beyond expected revenue and compensation analyses for potential risks, say Julie Henson and Greg Hamman at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.

  • Opinion

    We Must Allow Judges To Use Their Independent Judgment

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    As two recent cases show, the ability of judges to access their independent judgment crucially enables courts to exercise the discretion needed to reach the right outcome based on the unique facts within the law, says John Siffert at Lankler Siffert & Wohl.

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