Hospitality

  • February 28, 2024

    Ex-Development Director Asks 4th Circ. To Flip Bias Suit Loss

    A former development director for a North Carolina city said she supported her sex discrimination and retaliation claims with evidence that she was treated differently from male colleagues, urging the Fourth Circuit to overturn the city's win in her suit.

  • February 28, 2024

    Insurance Agency Says It Wasn't Told Of Airbnb Shooting Suits

    A Pennsylvania insurance agency accused of concealing that a Pittsburgh Airbnb property was subject to numerous lawsuits over a mass shooting has claimed that the property owner never revealed the problems when shopping for a new policy, so it wasn't the agency's fault when the new insurer canceled coverage.

  • February 28, 2024

    Seattle Convention Center's Virus Losses Not Covered

    A Seattle convention center operator is not owed coverage for pandemic-related business interruption losses, a Washington federal judge ruled, finding that although the governor's emergency pandemic proclamations prohibited access to the convention center, they weren't issued because of physical loss or damage to the property.

  • February 28, 2024

    Trump Can't Freeze $465M Penalty But Can Seek Loans

    A New York state appellate judge on Wednesday refused to freeze the $465 million civil fraud judgment against Donald Trump while he appeals the award, but said the former president could take out loans to cover the cost of the judgment.  

  • February 27, 2024

    Conn. Restaurant Rejects Revamped Wine-Tasting Death Suit

    Citing the statute of limitations and an alleged failure to plead a valid case, a venerable New Haven restaurant has asked a Connecticut state judge to reject an amended lawsuit accusing it of recklessly overserving alcohol at a "mandatory" employee wine tasting event and allegedly causing a worker's drunk driving death.

  • February 27, 2024

    La. Comfort Inn Owner Ordered To Arbitrate $2.6M Storm Suit

    A Louisiana federal judge has ordered the owner of a Comfort Inn outside New Orleans to arbitrate a $2.6 million suit against its insurer over coverage for damage from Hurricane Ida, saying its insurance policy compels arbitration.

  • February 27, 2024

    NC Short-Term Rental Law Fight Gets Partial Remand

    A North Carolina federal judge divvied up a proposed class action lodged by three vacation property companies claiming a county's recently passed zoning ordinance illegally places restrictions on short-term rentals, sending the state law claims back to state court but maintaining jurisdiction over the federal allegations.

  • February 26, 2024

    Live Nation Can't Cancel Suit Over Eras Tour Sales Meltdown

    A California federal judge refused Friday to end a proposed securities class action alleging Live Nation made misleading statements about its operations when news of alleged anticompetitive practices with Ticketmaster caused stock prices to drop, finding the suit describes "a materially different state of affairs" than what Live Nation claimed.

  • February 26, 2024

    Disney Sued Over Woman's Death From Allergen-Filled Meal

    A New York man whose wife died of an allergic reaction after eating at an Irish restaurant at Walt Disney World is suing both the restaurant and Walt Disney Parks and Resorts for negligence, asserting they were repeatedly assured that the food they were served was free of allergens.

  • February 26, 2024

    Timeshare Settlement Can't Stop Additional Consumer Suit

    A Washington marketing firm must face negligent misrepresentation and consumer protection claims over links to a timeshare-exit company, according to a Washington federal judge who ruled that a group of consumers seeking refunds are not barred from suing because of a settlement in another case.

  • February 26, 2024

    Fla. Official Can't Save Home From Verdict, Businessmen Say

    Two Miami businessmen have urged a federal judge to block a city commissioner's attempt to prevent the forced sale of his house to satisfy a $63.5 million judgment, saying he voted to unconstitutionally gerrymander the city's districts to include the property and also improperly claimed a last-minute homestead protection.

  • February 26, 2024

    Mass. Casino Gets 2nd Fine For Taking Illegal College Bets

    The Massachusetts Gaming Commission on Monday fined Encore Boston Harbor $40,000 for improperly taking bets on games involving in-state colleges, the second such punishment doled out to the casino in the past seven months.

  • February 26, 2024

    Miffed NC Biz Court Mulls Sanctions After Missed Deadlines

    A North Carolina Business Court judge on Monday chided counsel on both sides of an employment dispute for missing important deadlines on the eve of a jury trial, causing him to postpone the trial indefinitely and contemplate dismissing the case entirely.

  • February 26, 2024

    Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court

    Delaware's Court of Chancery dropped two potentially far-reaching decisions last week: one about founder control at Moelis & Co. and another about TripAdvisor's planned move to Nevada. On top of that, there were new cases involving Citrix Systems, Alcoa Corp., BGC Partners Inc. and Cantor Fitzgerald LP.

  • February 26, 2024

    Burford, Sysco Object To Nixed Swap In Price-Fixing Suits

    Restaurant food distributor Sysco and a Burford Capital affiliate both objected to a federal magistrate judge's decision not to allow the affiliate to replace Sysco in sprawling price-fixing lawsuits against pork and beef producers, asserting that the denial contravenes civil procedure rules and public policy.

  • February 23, 2024

    Restaurants Blast 'Fatal Flaws' In Chicken Price-Fix Deal

    Boston Market and other restaurants objecting to Simmons Foods' $8 million chicken price-fixing settlement with direct purchasers say the Seventh Circuit should unwind the deal because it improperly releases bid-rigging claims for no consideration and turns the massive two-track case on its head.

  • February 23, 2024

    Balloon Co. Blew Up Appeal Of Fraud Verdict, 1st Circ. Says

    A bid from the owner of a defunct balloon company to set aside an already-reduced jury award won't fly, the First Circuit has concluded, finding that the company's own acknowledgment about transferred funds "dooms their appeal."

  • February 23, 2024

    Trade Group Tells NC Justices COVID-19 Losses Not Covered

    A dozen North Carolina eateries are not owed coverage for pandemic-related losses, the American Property Casualty Insurance Association told the state's highest court, saying the policies at issue were never intended to cover economic damages "untethered" to physical loss or damage.

  • February 23, 2024

    With Interest, Trump Now Owes $454M For NY Valuation Fraud

    Donald Trump owes New York state nearly a half billion dollars after a county clerk on Friday tacked on $99 million in interest linked to a $355 million judgment in the state attorney general's civil fraud case against the former president last week.

  • February 23, 2024

    Staffing Co. To Pay $1.75M, Reclassify Workers In Calif. Deal

    An online shift-booking platform for hotel and restaurant workers will pay $1.75 million to end claims by San Francisco's city attorney and the state of California that it engaged in wage theft by misclassifying thousands of jobs in the hospitality industry, according to court papers. 

  • February 23, 2024

    Workers Snag Partial Win On Tip Notice Dispute With Denny's

    It is unclear whether 10 members of a collective in a suit against diner chain Denny's received a tip credit notice, a Pennsylvania federal judge ruled, nevertheless granting an early win to the other workers claiming defective tip credit notices.

  • February 22, 2024

    No Partnership In Hot Dog Eatery Deal, NC Court Rules

    A restaurateur has beaten a lawsuit that alleged he jilted an associate in a deal to buy hot dog eateries, with North Carolina's business court reasoning the two never had a legally binding partnership.

  • February 22, 2024

    DraftKings Says Ex-Exec's $310K Attys Fees Bid Is Excessive

    DraftKings has told a California federal court that the "whopping" $310,000 in attorney fees requested by a former executive after the company shuffled the case back and forth between state and federal court is an unreasonable fee no "reasonable client" would pay.

  • February 22, 2024

    Scammer Who Did Time In Google Fraud Admits To 2nd Caper

    A Dutch citizen who previously served time for a scam involving fake, early-issue Google shares copped Thursday in Manhattan federal court to a new fraud caper, after prosecutors said he tricked an investor by dangling a fake Airbnb Inc. equity stake.

  • February 21, 2024

    Judge Rejects $5.2M Atty Fee Bid In Poultry Farm Loan Suit

    A New York federal judge rebuffed attorneys' attempt to collect a nearly $5.2 million fee for representing an affiliate of two billionaire brothers that accused an investment adviser of fraudulently inducing the affiliate to provide a loan for a Russian poultry operation, saying the adviser wasn't improperly defending himself.

Expert Analysis

  • Data Breach Rulings Stress Duty For Protecting Worker Data

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    Two recent rulings from the Eleventh Circuit have restricted employers' ability to defend class action claims stemming from data breaches that target employees' personal information, highlighting the importance of cybersecurity measures that acknowledge a heightened obligation to protect workers’ data, say attorneys at Polsinelli.

  • Perspectives

    A Judge's Pitch To Revive The Jury Trial

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    Ohio state Judge Pierre Bergeron explains how the decline of the jury trial threatens public confidence in the judiciary and even democracy as a whole, and he offers ideas to restore this sacred right.

  • How To Recognize And Recover From Lawyer Loneliness

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    Law can be one of the loneliest professions, but there are practical steps that attorneys and their managers can take to help themselves and their peers improve their emotional health, strengthen their social bonds and protect their performance, says psychologist and attorney Traci Cipriano.

  • Opinion

    Litigation Funding Disclosure Should Be Mandatory

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    Despite the Appellate Rules Committee's recent deferral of the issue of requiring third-party litigation funding disclosure, such a mandate is necessary to ensure the even-handed administration of justice across all cases, says David Levitt at Hinshaw.

  • Recalling USWNT's Legal PR Playbook Amid World Cup Bid

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    As the U.S. Women's National Soccer Team strives to take home another World Cup trophy, their 2022 pay equity settlement with the U.S. Soccer Federation serves as a good reminder that winning in the court of public opinion can be more powerful than a victory inside the courtroom, says Hector Valle at Vianovo.

  • The Issues Brewing Around Starbucks Labor Practice Cases

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    Starbucks is faced with fighting off another push for a nationwide injunction against firing any employees that support unionization, and there's a distinct possibility that the company and the National Labor Relations Board could be fighting the same fight over and over in various locations, says Janette Levey at Levey Law.

  • Investors With ESG Aims Should Heed Antitrust Reporting Rules

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    As investors globally are embracing environmental, social and governance investing, regulatory agencies have made clear that ESG initiatives are not immune from antitrust scrutiny, and investors cannot count on receiving special exemptions from the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act reporting requirements, say Jonathan Gleklen and Francesca Pisano at Arnold & Porter.

  • Perspectives

    Mallory Gives Plaintiffs A Better Shot At Justice

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    Critics of the U.S. Supreme Court's recent decision in Mallory v. Norfolk Southern claim it opens the door to litigation tourism, but the ruling simply gives plaintiffs more options — enabling them to seek justice against major corporations in the best possible court, say Rayna Kessler and Ethan Seidenberg at Robins Kaplan.

  • Why Seminole Tribe Sports Betting Ruling Is A Net Positive

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    The D.C. Circuit Court’s recent ruling that a gambling compact between Florida and the Seminole Tribe is lawful even though it allows for online sports betting expands the tribe's offerings while maintaining exclusivity and is a win for individuals who wish to legally wager on sports within Florida, says Daniel McGinn at Dean Mead.

  • Courts Can Overturn Deficient State Regulations, Too

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    While suits challenging federal regulations have become commonplace, such cases against state agencies are virtually nonexistent, but many states have provisions that allow litigants to bring suit for regulations with inadequate cost-benefit analyses, says Reeve Bull at the Virginia Office of Regulatory Management.

  • Equinox Bias Verdict Shows Swift Employer Response Is Key

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    A nearly $11.3 million jury verdict against Equinox in New York federal court shows just how high the stakes are for employers dealing with harassment and discrimination in the workplace, and how important consistent investigation and discipline are when responding to individual internal complaints, says Jennifer Huelskamp at Porter Wright.

  • Tales From The Trenches Of Remote Depositions

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    As practitioners continue to conduct depositions remotely in the post-pandemic world, these virtual environments are rife with opportunities for improper behavior such as witness coaching, scripted testimony and a general lack of civility — but there are methods to prevent and combat these behaviors, say Jennifer Gibbs and Bennett Moss at Zelle.

  • ChatGPT Can't Predict The Future Of Antitrust And AI (Yet)

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    Though OpenAI's ChatGPT has made artificial intelligence a popular topic of conversation recently, the subject of AI and antitrust has been around for years, raising the question of what other competitive concerns might arise as the technology becomes more sophisticated and ubiquitous in our marketplace, say attorneys at Faegre Drinker.

  • Level Up Lawyers' Business Development With Gamification

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    With employee engagement at a 10-year low in the U.S., there are several gamification techniques marketing and business development teams at law firms can use to make generating new clients and matters more appealing to lawyers, says Heather McCullough at Society 54.

  • Mallory Ruling Leaves Personal Jurisdiction Deeply Unsettled

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    In Mallory v. Norfolk Southern Railway, a closely divided U.S. Supreme Court recently rolled back key aspects of its 2017 opinion in Daimler AG v. Bauman that limited personal jurisdiction, leaving as many questions for businesses as it answers, say John Cerreta and James Rotondo at Day Pitney.

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