Tag Archives: Food Law

Top News Clips for February 17-23

February 23, 2018News, Recent NewsBusiness Climate, Class Actions, Food Law, TCCWNANJCJI

A selection of the need-to-know civil justice news for February 17-23.

Fears of More N.J. Plaintiffs Spur Biz Push for Legal Fixes

Bruce Kaufman | Bloomberg Law’s Product Safety & Liability Reporter

Business groups are ratcheting up the pressure to improve their legal defenses in New Jersey in anticipation of a wave of new plaintiffs who may be encouraged to sue in the Garden State after a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling.

Alison Frankel | Reuters

On Friday, the Justice Department filed a statement of interest opposing final court approval of a proposed consumer class action settlement in federal court in Camden, New Jersey. I’ll tell you below about the substance of the government’s qualms with the settlement, which resolves allegations that a website called Wines ‘Til Sold Out misrepresented the original prices of wines it sold at a purported discount. But the significance of DOJ’s filing isn’t the particular flaws it highlights in the proposed deal. It’s that the Justice Department is exercising its authority to oppose a private class action settlement – and that, based on comments from departing Justice Department official Rachel Brand, the Wines ‘Til Sold Out filing is likely to be just the first in a series from the Trump DOJ.

Julie Creswell | New York Times

In recent years, one bright spot in an otherwise lackluster market for packaged foods, beverages and consumer products has been merchandise promoted as “natural.” Consumers, increasingly wary of products that are overly processed or full of manufactured chemicals, are paying premium prices for natural goods, from fruit juices and cereals to shampoos and baby wipes. But as a spate of lawsuits and consumer advocacy efforts show, one person’s “natural” is another person’s methylisothiazolinone.

Top News Clips for February 3-9

February 9, 2018News, Recent NewsFood Law, New Jersey Courts, Outrageous LawsuitsNJCJI

A selection of the need-to-know civil justice news for February 3-9.

N.J. Judges Could Get $24K Pay Raise

Matt Arco | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

A plan to give hundreds of judges and top officials in New Jersey pay raises is back. Except this time, it’s not tied to a book deal for Chris Christie. The bill (S1229) cleared its first hurdle Monday when approved by a state Senate panel. The measure would gives judges and county prosecutors a $24,000 pay increase over three years and let members of the governor’s cabinet earn the same paycheck as Gov. Phil Murphy: $175,000 — a $34,000 jump from their current salaries.

Walter Olson | Overlawyered

“The Alabama Supreme Court says a man can’t go forward with his lawsuit against a company involved in booking a death metal concert where he was injured.” The plaintiff said he was thrown to the ground during the Mobile event and suffered serious spinal injuries. “The decision says ICM Partners received a $250 commission for booking the band but had no other involvement.”

U.S. Chamber’s Institute for Legal Reform

A class action settlement will force Bumble Bee Foods to change the wording on its canned salmon product while giving no money to class members… As part of the settlement, the company will change the wording from “smoked” to “smoke-flavored.” In addition to changing the wording of the package, Bumble Bee will also pay up to $85,000 for fees. Class members will not get a monetary benefit from the settlement.

Top News Clips for January 27-February 2

February 2, 2018News, Recent NewsFood Law, New Jersey Courts, Outrageous Lawsuits, Statute of LimitationsNJCJI

A selection of the need-to-know civil justice news for January 27-February 2.

Just in Time for the Super Bowl, a Look at the NFL’s Offbeat Cases

Randy Maniloff | New Jersey Law Journal

Super Bowl LII is upon us. In fact, the pre-game show has already started. And while football is the national pastime, litigation is a close second. So what better way to deal with any lull in the action than a discussion of the substantial number of lawsuits that surround the National Football League, its players and fans.

U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Legal Reform

Last week, a New Jersey judge “squeezed out” lawsuits in multidistrict litigation alleging that Tropicana falsely represented its orange juice as “all-natural.”

Jody Godoy | Law360

A former aide to ex-New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie urged the Third Circuit on Tuesday to overturn her convictions in the Bridgegate criminal case, arguing that drivers don’t have a civil right to traffic-free travel and that prosecutors have no business second-guessing government officials.

Michael Booth | New Jersey Law Journal

A New Jersey appeals court handed Hoffmann-La Roche a minor victory on Tuesday when it affirmed a trial judge’s ruling that four plaintiffs in the Accutane litigation blew the statute of limitations in filing their product liability lawsuits.