Mass Torts vs. Class Actions: A Tale of Two Strategies
Eighth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Putative Class Claims
Class Action | Eleventh Circuit Reinstates No Hire Antitrust Claims Against Burger King
John Lewis of BakerHostetler Discusses Use of Social Media in Gawker Class Action
Wearables and the Future of Intellectual Property Law
While class actions centered around “natural” claims remain popular with the plaintiffs’ bar, this past year has seen some growing skepticism from courts towards such lawsuits, particularly where plaintiffs fail to adequately...more
On January 10, 2024, a class action lawsuit survived a motion to dismiss a complaint alleging injury due to misleading "carbon neutrality" branding on bottled water. Dorris v. Danone Waters of America, Case No. 22 Civ. 8717...more
Judge Rachel Kovner of the Eastern District of New York recently dismissed a putative class action challenging Whole Foods Market’s label claims that its Oats & Flax Instant Oatmeal contains “dehydrated cane juice solids” and...more
Over the past several years, federal courts have rarely allowed slack-fill class actions to survive beyond the motion to dismiss phase. Whether the plaintiffs allege that the packaging is misleading or that the slack-fill is...more
In Yamasaki v. Zicam, LLC, Case No. 21-cv-2596 (N.D. Cal. 2021), Plaintiff alleged certain Zicam® cold remedy products were falsely advertised as “clinically proven to shorten colds.” On this basis, Plaintiff sought to...more
Takeaway: Although a district court deciding a Rule 12 motion to dismiss must draw every inference in favor of a plaintiff, courts know puffery when they see it. In George v. Starbucks Corp., --- Fed. Appx. ----, No....more
Judge Edward R. Korman of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of New York recently granted Mondelez Global’s motion to dismiss a putative class action challenging the advertising for its signature Oreo cookies....more
We previously blogged about the dismissal without prejudice of a putative consumer class action alleging that the well-known confectioner Ghirardelli misled consumers into believing its “Premium Baking Chips Classic White...more
Last month, Judge Dale S. Fischer of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California denied Kraft Heinz’s motion to dismiss a putative nationwide class action alleging Kraft falsely advertised its “Crystal...more
Judge Paul C. Huck of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida recently granted a motion to dismiss brought by Defendants The Fresh Market and Tyson Fresh Meats in a putative consumer class action alleging...more
On May 29, the Second Circuit held that an orange juice company’s use of the word “Natural” in its brand name was not deceptive as a matter of law, notwithstanding the presence of trace amounts of an artificial herbicide in...more
On April 8, 2020, Judge Phyllis J. Hamilton of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California granted Ghirardelli Chocolate’s motion to dismiss a putative nationwide class action brought by several consumers...more
A putative class action against Cento Fine Foods (Cento) challenging the packaging and labeling representations regarding its “Certified San Marzano” tomato products will move forward after a California federal court denied...more
A magistrate judge in the Northern District of California recently dismissed a putative class action alleging that Trader Joe’s misled its consumers about the purity of its manuka honey. Moore v. Trader Joe’s Co., No....more
An Illinois federal court chopped down the plaintiff's putative class action over the size of The Home Depot's lumber, granting the defendant's motion to dismiss....more
Parties Settle Kombucha False Advertising Action - Retta, et al. v. Millennium Products, Inc., No. 2:15-cv-01801 (C.D. Cal.): The Ninth Circuit entered an order granting Objector-Appellant’s motion for voluntary dismissal...more
Court Denies Motion to Dismiss Class Action Involving Healthfulness of Extra Virgin Coconut Oil - Traction v. Viva Labs, Inc., No. 3:16-cv-02772 (S.D. Cal.): The Court issued an order denying Defendant’s motion to dismiss...more
On September 12, 2016, Southern District of California Judge Barry Moskowitz granted defendants’ motion to dismiss several of plaintiffs’ claims in the putative class action Hammock v. Nutramarks, Case No. 15cv2056 BTM (NLS)....more
On August 12, 2016, Southern District of California Judge William Q. Hayes denied most of a motion to dismiss and motion to strike in Hunter v. Nature’s Way Products, LLC, Case No. 16cv532-WQH-BLM. The putative class action...more
Court Awake To Plaintiff’s Deceptive Sleep-Tracking Claims Against Fitbit - A challenge to Fitbit’s claims that certain models of its exercise monitoring device tracked users’ sleep patterns will move forward after a...more
Eleventh Circuit Rejects Application of VPPA to Free App - The latest decision interpreting the application of the Video Privacy Protection Act in the context of twenty-first century technology provides positive news for...more
Arroyo v. TP-Link USA Corporation (N.D. Cal.) presents a varied opinion on the viability of class claims under California law, particularly as brought by a non-California class representative. Plaintiff, a Florida resident,...more
The Honorable John A. Kronstadt for United States Federal District for the Central District of California, denied a Defendant’s motion to reconsider his previous ruling on a motion to dismiss based upon a subsequent Fourth...more
This Newsletter Aims to keep those in the food industry up to speed on developments in food labeling and nutritional content litigation. RECENT SIGNIFICANT RULINGS - Class Certification Denied In Popcorners “All...more
The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals recently addressed preemption in the context of food and cosmetic labeling. Food Manufacturers Can Label Honey as “Honey” - In June, the Ninth Circuit issued an opinion in Brod v....more