Tag: Maryland
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Putative Class Action Alleges Burger King Overcharged Customers
A Maryland consumer alleges that when she used coupons offering a free sandwich with the purchase of an initial sandwich, Burger King locations in Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia and Florida charged her more than they would have if she had purchased sandwiches without the coupons. Anderson v. Burger King, No. 17-1204 (D. Md.,…
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Baltimore Considers SSB Health Warnings
Baltimore City Councilman Nick Mosby (D) has introduced legislation that would require health warnings for sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in certain advertisements, menus, menu boards and point-of-sale signage. “The beverage industry specifically targets youth and communities of color with its marketing efforts, spending $395 million in marketing directed at youth and $28.6 million on marketing campaigns…
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Fourth Circuit Confirms Dismissal of Spam Marketing Suit Against Kraft
The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed a lower court’s dismissal of a case alleging that Kraft spammed an Internet service provider (ISP) with advertisements for its Gevalia® coffee products. Beyond Systems, Inc. v. Kraft Foods, Inc., No. 13-2137 (4th Cir., order entered February 4, 2015). Beyond Systems sued Kraft alleging violations of Maryland’s…
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Maryland Proposal Would Ban Sale of Energy Drinks to Minors
Maryland lawmakers have proposed legislation (H.B. 1273) that would prohibit the sale of energy drinks to youth younger than age 18. Defining energy drink as a “beverage, an energy shot, or a powdered drink mix that contains 71 milligrams or more of caffeine per 12-ounce serving and the ingredients taurine, guarana, panax ginseng, inositol, or L-Carnitine in any…
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EEOC Files Gender Discrimination Complaint Against Food Distributor
The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) has filed a complaint against Performance Food Group, Inc., alleging that it had a “standard operating procedure of denying employment to female applicants for operative positions in its [warehouse] facilities on the basis of their gender”; EEOC also alleges that the defendant failed to promote a woman at its…
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Maryland Bill Creates Workgroup to Examine Children’s Online Privacy Issues
Lawmakers in Maryland have passed a bill (S.B. 374) requiring the Office of the Attorney General to assemble and direct a workgroup to explore issues relating to the protection of children’s online privacy. The legislation requires that the workgroup include state government representatives, industry leaders, children’s online privacy experts, and consumer and children’s health advocates.…
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Court Dismisses “Non-GMO” Lawsuit Against Beverage Cos. Filed by “Frequent Flyer”
A federal court in Maryland has dismissed, under the first-to-file rule, a lawsuit brought by a plaintiff characterized as a “frequent flyer in the United State judicial system,” finding that five similar putative class action lawsuits against the defendants, three of which were filed before the plaintiff filed his complaint, are currently pending in a…