Tag: California
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Court Dismisses John Wayne Estate’s Suit Against Duke University
A California federal court has granted Duke University’s motion to dismiss in a lawsuit filed by John Wayne Enterprises seeking a declaratory judgment that its registration and use of Duke trademarks are not likely to cause consumer confusion and do not violate or dilute the school’s trademarks. John Wayne Enterprises, LLC v. Duke Univ., No. 14-1020…
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Jamba Juice Class Certified for Liability
A California federal court has certified a statewide liability class in a lawsuit accusing Jamba Juice of labeling its home smoothie kits as “all natural” despite containing five synthetic ingredients—ascorbic acid, xanthan gum, steviol glycosides, modified corn starch, and gelatin—but it refused to certify the class for damages. Lilly v. Jamba Juice Co., No. 13-2998…
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San Francisco and Berkeley Pass Resolutions Condemning Nontherapeutic Use of Antibiotics in Livestock
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors and Berkeley City Council last week each passed resolutions urging federal lawmakers to pass the Preservation of Antibiotics for Medical Treatment Act of 2013 (H.R. 1150) and the Preventing Antibiotic Resistance Act of 2013 (S. 1256). “Twenty-three thousand people die each year in the United States from antibiotic-resistant infections,”…
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Parties Reach Settlement in Yerba Mate ECJ Labeling Putative Class Action
A California federal court has approved a settlement in a case accusing Guayaki Sustainable Rainforest Products Inc. of misleading its customers by listing “organic evaporated cane juice” (ECJ) as an ingredient of its yerba mate products. Cowan v. Guayaki Sustainable Rainforest Prods. Inc., No. 14-1248 (U.S. Dist. Ct., N.D. Cal., order entered September 16, 2014).…
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Cal/EPA Solicits Information on Potential Regulatory Actions Under Prop. 65
The California Environmental Protection Agency’s (Cal/EPA’s) Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) is requesting public input for ways of improving the implementing regulations of the state’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986 (Prop. 65). More specifically, the agency invites stakeholders’ ideas about (i) alternative risk levels for chemicals in foods; (ii)…
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Proposed Berkeley Soda Tax Language Changed
A California state court has adjusted the language in the soft drink tax on the November 2014 ballot by replacing “high-calorie, sugary drink” with “sugar-sweetened beverages” to clarify the proposed tax and to conform with election codes. Johnson v. Numainville, No. RG14786763 (Cal. Super. Ct., Alameda Cty., order entered September 2, 2014). Agreeing with the…
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Prop. 65 Suit Challenges 4-MEI in Ginger Beverage Products
According to a news source, the Center for Environmental Health has filed a lawsuit under California’s Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act (Prop. 65), alleging that Reed’s Ginger Products fails to warn consumers about the caramel-coloring chemical 4-methylimidazole (4-MEI) purportedly present in its soft drinks. Ctr. for Envtl. Health v. Reed’s, Inc., (Cal. Super.…
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Slaughterhouse Co-Owner Pleads Guilty
Former Rancho Feeding Operations co-owner Robert Singleton has agreed to plead guilty to one count of aiding and abetting the distribution of condemned and diseased cattle in violation of the Federal Meat Inspection Act and will testify against the other owner of the now-defunct slaughterhouse operation and its employees. United States v. Singleton, No. 14-cr-441…