Category: U.S. Circuit Courts
-
Court Dismisses “100% Parmesan” Cheese MDL
A federal court has dismissed multidistrict litigation alleging that several brands’ “100% Grated Parmesan Cheese” misled consumers because the products contained as much as 8.8 percent cellulose, finding that the claims were “doomed by the readily accessible ingredient panels on the products that disclose the presence of non-cheese ingredients.” In Re: 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese…
-
Quaker Oats Labeling Suit Preempted by FDCA, Court Rules
A federal court has dismissed with prejudice a putative class action alleging that Quaker Oats’ use of “100% Natural” on its products misleads consumers, holding that the plaintiffs’ claims are expressly preempted by the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA). Gibson v. Quaker Oats Co., No. 16-4853 (N.D. Ill., entered August 14, 2017). The plaintiffs…
-
TTAB Denies Trademark Status for “Coffee Flour”
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB) has affirmed a refusal to grant Empire Technology Development a trademark for “coffee flour,” finding “clear evidence of generic use” of the term. In re Empire Tech. Dev. LLC, Serial No. 85876688 (TTAB, entered August 3, 2017). The company, which created the flour from ground coffee cherry skins,…
-
TTAB Says No Likelihood of Confusion Between “Cannibal” Beer and “Cannibal” Restaurant
The Trademark Trial and Appeal Board of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has reversed a refusal to register “The Cannibal” as a mark for beer to Iron Hill Brewery, finding little likelihood of confusion between the beer and a restaurant called “The Cannibal Beer & Butcher.” In re Iron Hill Brewery, No. 86682532 (TTAB,…
-
Naked Juice Faces Proposed Class Action for “Cold-Pressed” Labeling
A consumer has filed a putative class action against PepsiCo alleging that Naked Juice products are mislabeled as “cold pressed” because they also undergo high-pressure processing, “render[ing] the composition of the final product distinct from the intermediate, cold pressed product.” Davis v. PepsiCo, No. 17-4551 (E.D.N.Y., filed August 2, 2017). The complaint alleges that Naked Juice’s “Naked Pressed” product line,…
-
Slack-Fill Putative Class Action Filed Against Pret A Manger
Pret A Manger faces a putative class action alleging the chain’s wrap packaging hides inches of empty space between sandwich halves. Lau v. Pret A Manger (USA) Ltd., No. 17-5775 (S.D.N.Y., filed July 31, 2017). The complaint alleges that Pret’s wraps are packaged in clear plastic sleeves with an opaque cardboard band hiding nonfunctional slack…
-
Court Dismisses Truffle-Oil Class Action
A federal court has dismissed a putative class action alleging Monini North America’s truffle olive oils do not contain truffles, holding that the plaintiffs’ concession that the oil tasted and smelled like truffles was fatal to their claims. Jessani v. Monini N. Am., No. 17-3257 (S.D.N.Y., entered August 3, 2017). Additional details about the complaint…
-
Federal Court Holds Noodles & Co. Has No Independent Duty of Care to Card Issuers For Data Breach
A federal court has dismissed with prejudice a data-breach suit filed by a group of credit unions against Noodles & Co., holding that the restaurant had no independent duty of care to the unions distinct from its contractual agreements with MasterCard and Visa. SELCO Cmty. Credit Union v. Noodles & Co., No. 16-2247 (D. Colo.,…