A selection of the need-to-know civil justice news for the week of August 15-21.

 

Lawsuits Chase Popular Almond Milk, Part of National Trend in Food Labeling Claims

Claudia Buck | Sacramento Bee

In the crowded dairy case, there’s long been a gusher of alternatives to traditional cow’s milk. Soy milk. Rice milk. Coconut milk. Cashew milk. Goat’s milk. Hemp milk. Even oatmeal milk. And then there’s almond milk, which is rapidly slurping up a bigger share of the American market. Now, the popular nondairy beverage is also being targeted by class-action attorneys, part of a larger wave of food-related lawsuits, many of which are originating in California.

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NJ High Court Poised To Reshape Arbitration Disputes

Martin Bricketto | Law360

A 2014 New Jersey Supreme Court decision upping requirements for consumer arbitration agreements has made it easier for some plaintiffs to pursue claims in court and spurred companies to retrofit their contracts. Now, almost a year after Atalese v. U.S. Legal Services Group LP, the justices are considering another arbitration case that could bring even more changes.

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“Home Of Throwed Rolls” Sued For Throwin’ Rolls

Kevin Underhill | Lowering the Bar

Really for hittin’ a gal in her cornea and whatnot after them rolls was throwed. But there’s lawyerin’ afoot now, that’s definite.

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‘Supermarket Wars’ Aim to Slow New Store Openings, Experts Say

Kimberly Redmond | NJ Advance Media for NJ.com

As more competition enters the food market, grocery chains nowadays are doing whatever they can to maintain an edge in one of the most populous states in the nation. Although legal battles between supermarkets aren’t unheard of, they may be more commonplace in New Jersey, where buildable lots are becoming scarce and the population density is high, experts say.

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Are Lawyers Getting Dumber?

Natalie Kitroeff | Bloomberg Business

Last August, the tens of thousands of answer sheets from the bar exam started to stream into the National Conference of Bar Examiners. The initial results were so glaringly bad that staffers raced to tell their boss, Erica Moeser. In most states, the exam spans two days: The first is devoted to six hours of writing, and the second day brings six hours of multiple-choice questions. The NCBE, a nonprofit in Madison, Wis., creates and scores the multiple-choice part of the test, administered in every state but Louisiana. Those two days of bubble-filling and essay-scribbling are extremely stressful. For people who just spent three years studying the intricacies of the law, with the expectation that their $120,000 in tuition would translate into a bright white-collar future, failure can wreak emotional carnage. It can cost more than $800 to take the exam, and bombing the first time can mean losing a law firm job.

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Chris Christie Makes a Supreme Court Promise

Erica Brown | CBS News

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie on Thursday pledged that if elected president, his first Supreme Court nominee would not be a Harvard Law or Yale Law School graduate.

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