Tag: New York

  • Court Resolves Insurance Coverage Issues for Diacetyl Defendants

    A New York state court has determined that a company which made the butter flavoring chemical at issue in workplace exposure lawsuits succeeded to a predecessor’s insurance coverage rights. Int’l Flavors & Fragrances, Inc. v. St. Paul Prot. Ins. Co., No. 601723/08 (N.Y. Sup. Ct., decided April 11, 2011). Finding that a de facto merger…

  • Federal Prosecutors Settle Charges Against Beef Exporters

    U.S. attorneys in New York have reportedly secured court approval of a consent decree with three companies that allegedly exported meat containing vertebral column to Japan in violation of U.S. trade requirements. The settlement resolves an action filed in March 2011 alleging that the companies exported veal containing ineligible bone and tissue fragments, which action…

  • New York City to Consider Ban of Toy Giveaways in Restaurant Meals

    New York City Council Member Leroy Comrie (D) has introduced a bill (Int. No. 530) that would ban toy giveaways in restaurant meals deemed high in calories, sodium and fat. Amending the city’s administrative code “in relation to setting nutrition standards for distributing incentive items aimed at children,” the bill mirrors a similar San Francisco…

  • Farmers and Seed Companies Want Monsanto GE Seed Patents Declared Invalid

    A coalition of more than 50 trade organizations, seed businesses, farms, and farmers has filed a lawsuit in a federal court in New York, to stop Monsanto Co. from enforcing its genetically engineered (GE) seed patents against farmers whose fields become contaminated with the GE seeds. Organic Seed Growers & Trade Ass’n v. Monsanto Co., No.…

  • Insurer Claims Policy Does Not Cover Diacetyl Claim Damages

    An insurer that issued commercial umbrella policies to a company that makes flavorings ingredients, including those used in butter-flavored microwave popcorn, is seeking a declaration that it has no obligation under those policies to defend or indemnify the company in lawsuits alleging respiratory injury from exposure to diacetyl. Continental Cas. Co. v. Citrus & Allied…

  • NYC Health Department Airs Controversial Ad Campaign

    The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has announced a new advertising campaign designed “to educate New Yorkers about the potentially serious health effects of consuming sugary drinks.” With the tagline “Pouring on the Pounds,” the health department’s latest installment features subway advertisements and a new TV commercial, the latter of which…

  • Court Dismisses Claims That HFCS Beverage Is Not “All Natural”

    A federal district court in New York has granted the motion for summary judgment filed by Snapple Beverage Corp. in a case alleging that the company misled consumers by labeling its teas and juice drinks as “All Natural” because the company’s beverages contain high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Weiner v. Snapple Beverage Corp., No. 07-8742 (S.D.N.Y., decided…

  • Court Approves Discovery and Motions Schedule in Pelman v. McDonald’s

    A federal court in New York has entered an order approving the pre-trial discovery and motions scheduling order agreed to by the individual plaintiffs remaining in the litigation alleging that fast-food marketing caused adverse health effects related to obesity. Pelman v. McDonald’s Corp., No. 02-7821 (S.D.N.Y., order filed December 15, 2010). Under the terms of…