Kardashian Kopycat? Energy Drink Company Claims Competitor Stole Kim's Copyrighted Look - The Instagram posts look nearly identical, in a blink-and-you'll-miss-the-difference kind of way—or so says the complaint filed by...more
It’s No Secret That a Related Company’s Physical Presence in a Jurisdiction May Not Be Enough For Proper Venue - In Andra Group, LP v. Victoria’s Secret Stores, LLC, Appeal No. 20-2009, The Federal Circuit held that an...more
On July 30, 2021, L Brands, the parent company behind Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works, settled a rash of derivatives actions which had alleged “toxic” workplace conditions and “a culture of misogyny” at the company. ...more
Fed officials wrapped their June meeting yesterday with the news that “they expected to raise interest rates from rock bottom sooner than they had previously forecast.” That translates to a potential two incremental increases...more
More details on that massive ransomware hack that hit Colonial Pipeline over the weekend. The FBI has confirmed that hacking group DarkSide was responsible and that it’s “looking for any ties the group might have to...more
We all hoped ringing in the New Year would mean leaving some of the hardships from the COVID-19 pandemic behind in 2020. However, in just two short months, businesses struggling with rent and other financial obligations due...more
CASES OF NOTE THE SECRET'S OUT Victoria’s Secret Stores, LLC v. Herald Store Owner LLC, 70 Misc. 3d 1206(A) (N.Y. Sup. Ct. Jan. 7, 2021) A New York court recently held that a retailer’s closure due to a state law imposed...more
The lingerie brand Victoria’s Secret (“VS”) has struggled in recent years. VS’ overtly sexy aesthetic has failed to keep up with shifting consumer tastes towards comfort and gender and size inclusivity....more
A former participant in the L Brands 401(k) Savings and Retirement Plan is suing the plan sponsor for breaching their fiduciary duty under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) by allowing excessive fees for...more
The FAA has once again given Boeing the green light to send its troubled 737 Max models into the sky, “20 months after it was grounded following two fatal crashes blamed on faulty software and a host of company and government...more
This summer, McGuireWoods reported on two cases filed on June 8, 2020, with the Supreme Court of New York by plaintiffs Victoria’s Secret Stores LLC (VS) and Bath & Body Works LLC, in which the plaintiffs, as tenants, sought...more
Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, real estate owners and tenants have faced unprecedented day-to-day operational challenges from the loss of business and income. Two new real estate lawsuits seek to address these issues. ...more
What does Victoria’s Secret reveal about the perilous nature of doing deals in a pandemic? In two words, buyer beware. On February 20, 2020, as the stock market roared to an all-time high, Sycamore Partners inked a $525...more
WeWork co-founder wants to get PAAAAAID, so he’s suing SoftBank in an attempt to force it to “go through with its canceled deal to buy $3 billion of the company’s shares, accusing the Japanese conglomerate and its Vision Fund...more
PE firm Sycamore Partners, which “agreed to buy a majority of Victoria’s Secret from its embattled owner, L Brands, in February,” is looking to back out of the deal “because of the retail chain’s response to the coronavirus...more
Massachusetts has fined Chipotle $1.4 million as part of a settlement with the restaurant chain over accusations that “it routinely violated [state] labor laws, with authorities estimating more than 13,000 violations from...more
Over the last several weeks, a variety of major retailers, restaurant groups, pharmacies and other merchants have been hit with a deluge of putative class action lawsuits alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities...more
Because the Nissan leadership scandal is about as well-contained as Chernobyl in the early days [thanks, HBO], French automaker Renault has voted this morning to remove Chief Executive Thierry Bolloré amid concerns over the...more
Les Wexner, the billionaire CEO of Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works parent company L Brands, has accused his former money manager and confidant, Jeffrey Epstein, of misappropriating “vast sums of money” from Wexner and...more
Did you know that a Victoria’s Secret catalog is one of the top reasons that Congress included privacy protections in the Gramm-Leach Bliley Act (GLB Act)? The GLB Act protects consumers’ financial information and requires...more
Last week, Victoria’s Secret was hit with a class action in California alleging that the lingerie company sent Michael Hannegan almost 100 texts in one day in violation of the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA)....more
Airs Aromatics v. Victoria’s Secret - Dismissing a trademark cancellation claim against Victoria’s Secret’s DREAM ANGELS trademarks, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that federal trademark law...more