Food & Beverage Litigation & Regulatory Update

Category: U.S. Circuit Courts

  • Jagermeister Files TTAB Opposition to Application for Deer Head Mark

    Mast­Jagermeister SE has filed an opposition to a trademark application by apparel company Offseason Outdoors for a logo featuring a deer’s head. Mast­Jagermeister SE v. Offseason Outdoors, No. 91234087 (T.T.A.B., opposition filed April 19, 2017). Jagermeister, which marks its alcohol products with deer head images, filed its notice of opposition to Offseason’s trademark application, claiming…

  • Second Circuit Upholds Milk Price-Fixing Settlement

    The Second Circuit has upheld the $50­ million settlement of an alleged milk price-­fixing conspiracy, holding that “[b]y their nature, settlements are compromises that do not provide either side with all that they might have hoped to obtain in litigation.” Haar v. Allen, No. 16­1944 (2d Cir., order entered April 18, 2017). The class action…

  • Ketchup Cap Maker Sues Kraft Heinz for Trade-Secret Misappropriation

    Kraft Heinz Foods faces a trade-­secret suit alleging it distributed documents containing confidential and proprietary drawings and specifications for plastic caps created by one of its long­-time vendors. AptarGroup, Inc. v. Kraft Heinz Foods Co., No. 17­521 (W.D. Pa., filed April 21, 2017). AptarGroup argues that Kraft distributed engineering and customer drawings providing detailed specifications…

  • Putative Class Action Alleges GMO Foods Are Not “Natural”

    A Florida plaintiff has filed a putative class action against the maker of Tabatchnick soups, alleging its products cannot be called “natural” because they contain genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Ramsaran v. Tabatchnick Fine Foods, Inc., No. 17­60794 (S.D. Fla., filed April 24, 2017). The complaint asserts that 19 Tabatchnick soups labeled or advertised as “all…

  • Ginger Ale Labeling Suit to Proceed Against Dr Pepper

    A federal court has reportedly refused to dismiss a mislabeling class action alleging Dr Pepper’s Canada Dry Ginger Ale contains “real ginger” but dismissed the plaintiffs’ fraud claims with leave to amend. Fitzhenry-­Russell v. Dr Pepper Snapple Grp., Inc., No. 17­0564 (N.D. Cal., motion hearing April 19, 2017). While the court found the plaintiffs’ labeling…

  • Eighth Circuit Upholds Convictions in Halal Mislabeling Scheme

    The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit has upheld the convictions of Midamar Corp., founder William Aossey and his son Jalel Aossey, perpetrators of a scheme to falsely label meat as halal. U.S. v. Aossey, Nos. 16­1611, 16­1688, 16­1761 (8th Cir., order entered April 14, 2017). The court rejected the defendants’ arguments that…

  • “Technically Correct” Labels Can Be Misleading

    The Ninth Circuit has reversed the dismissal of a putative class action alleging that Gerber’s baby food labels misled consumers about the nutritional value of its baby foods despite being “technically correct.” Bruton v. Gerber Prods. Co., No. 15­15174 (9th Cir., order entered April 19, 2017). The plaintiff argued that the presence of impermissible nutrient…

  • Court Dismisses “No Preservatives Added” Claims Against Herr Foods

    A Pennsylvania federal court has dismissed without prejudice a consumer lawsuit alleging Herr Foods Inc. labels its snack products as free from added preservatives despite containing citric acid. Hu v. Herr Foods, Inc., No. 16­5037 (E.D. Pa., order entered April 24, 2017). Additional information on the complaint appears in Issue 609 of this Update. Herr…