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Passing On Preemption: Ninth Circuit Holds That California’s Sherman Law Is Not Impliedly Preempted

While it rarely rules on questions of preemption, the Ninth Circuit took an even rarer step on July 1, 2024 when it took up the question of whether private parties can seek to enforce the provisions of California’s Sherman...more

Health Halo Trend Continues With Poppi "Gut Healthy" Sodas

Late last month, San Francisco resident Kirstin Cobbs initiated a class action lawsuit against poppi after purchasing its product, poppi prebiotic soda, believing the product to be “gut healthy.” Poppi sodas are packaged in...more

Golden State Crackdown—Unpacking California’s Landmark Food Safety Act

This month, California Governor Gavin Newsom signed into law the California Food Safety Act—a bill targeted at enhancing food safety within California. The law bans the manufacture, sale, and distribution of four food...more

Uncertainty in Carbon Markets Leads to Novel Carbon Offset Litigation

Net zero goals and carbon neutrality have hit the mainstream, propelled over the past decade by consumer and investor demands that businesses curb greenhouse gas emissions to counter the climate crisis. In response, companies...more

FTC Issues Notice Of Penalty Offenses On Substantiation Of Product Claims

On April 13, 2023, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sent approximately 670 notices of penalty offenses to various companies involved in the marketing of OTC drugs, homeopathic products, dietary supplements, and functional...more

FDA Releases Draft Guidance For Labeling Of Plant-Based Milk Alternatives

In 2018, when former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb famously commented that “an almond doesn’t lactate,” he was adding perhaps the most colorful volley in a long-simmering debate about how the Food and Drug Administration...more

Water Is In, White Bread Is Out: “Healthy” Gets A New Look In 2023

For decades, health-conscious consumers have argued about what it really means for a food to be “healthy.” Is dark chocolate “healthy”? How about breakfast cereal, coffee, or fruit gummies?...more

Rulings, FDA Guidance May Help Food Cos. In Protein Suits

Originally published by Law360, Claudia Vetesi, Nicole Ozeran, and Lena Gankin authored an article discussing a wave of protein-labeling lawsuits hitting food manufacturers, alleging that their products’ front-label protein...more

FDA Ends Regulation Of “French Dressing”

Last week the FDA announced that it would lift regulations controlling what can be called “French dressing.” The regulations—which had been in place since 1950—previously required that a product contain 35% vegetable oil and...more

Ninth Circuit Confirms No Choice-Of-Law Analysis Necessary To Certify Settlement Class

The Ninth Circuit recently issued an opinion holding that district courts usually need not engage in rigorous analysis under the predominance inquiry of Rule 23(b)(3) before certifying a settlement class. In Jabbari v....more

Cancellations And Refunds Under California’s Consumer Protection Statutes In An Evolving Covid-19 Landscape

Several months into the widespread business closures and event cancellations resulting from the COVID 19 pandemic, we have seen businesses adopt a range of strategies to respond. Those strategies, in addition to the closures...more

California Supreme Court: Civil Penalty Claims Brought By Government Under UCl And FAL Should Be Determined By Court—Not Jury

The California Supreme Court has confirmed that claims for civil penalties brought by government entities under California’s Unfair Competition Law (“UCL”) and False Advertising Law (“FAL”) should be decided by a judge—not a...more

Ninth Circuit Provides Guidance On Pre-Certification Discovery

Earlier this year, the Ninth Circuit held that plaintiffs cannot avail themselves of liberal discovery rules in order to locate class representatives. The court found that Rule 26(b)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil...more

Steering Ahead: NHTSA Looks To Modernize Rules For Automated Driving Systems

Last week, the U.S. Department of Transportation (“DOT”) steered into a new direction that may accelerate the development of self-driving technologies. The DOT’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”), in an...more

Is The Coke Half Full Or Half Empty?

Earlier this month, a California federal judge certified six classes asserting state consumer protection statute claims in a multidistrict litigation alleging that The Coca-Cola Co. misled consumers about artificial flavors...more

Bad Influence: Complying with FTC’s Endorsement Guide

Today’s online celebrities—both verified and aspiring—can now become product sponsors with the help of a social-media account, a picture-perfect aesthetic, and several hundred thousand followers. The influencer marketing...more

Plaintiffs May Be Hard-Pressed In New Olive Oil Cases

On Aug. 2, 2018, two lawsuits were filed against Transnational Foods Inc. and J.M. Smucker Co. alleging that certain extra virgin olive oil, or EVOO, products were misleadingly labeled as EVOO when results from a “leading...more

Bristol-Myers Squibb: A Dangerous Sword

On June 19, 2017, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that has the potential to reshape the way class actions are litigated in courts throughout the country. In Bristol-Myers Squibb Co. v. Superior Court of California,...more

The Ninth Circuit’s Food Court Menu: A Status Update

A few years back, the Northern District of California was dubbed the “food court” based on the influx of food misbranding class actions claiming that alleged FDA regulatory infractions constituted violations of California...more

Supreme Court Slams the Back Door Around Rule 23(f) in Microsoft v. Baker

Introduction. On June 12, 2017, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Microsoft Corp. v. Baker et al., a closely watched case in the class action world, and one on which we previously reported here. Baker presented the...more

Ninth Circuit Revives Gerber Baby Food Class Action

Bruton v. Gerber, No. 15-15174. The district court had dismissed Plaintiff’s unjust enrichment claim, denied class certification for lack of an “ascertainable class,” and granted summary judgment to Gerber because Plaintiff...more

Judge Koh Issues First Blow to “Added Sugars” Plaintiffs

The Big Picture: On Tuesday, Judge Koh granted Kellogg’s Motion to Dismiss in its entirety in Hadley v. Kellogg Sales Company, No. 5:16-cv-04955-LHK (N.D. Cal.). Hadley is one of three cases against well-known cereal makers...more

House Passes Bill Proposing Sweeping Changes to Class Action Litigation

The House of Representatives has passed legislation that will fundamentally change class actions as we know them. The Fairness in Class Action Litigation Act of 2017 (the “Act” or “H.R. 985”) leaves no stage of class action...more

Ninth Circuit Affirms Denial of Samsung’s Motion to Compel Arbitration Based on In-Box Warranty Brochure

On January 19, 2017, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed a district court’s denial of Samsung’s motion to compel arbitration by the named plaintiff in a class action alleging that Samsung made misrepresentations as to...more

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