A selection of the need-to-know civil justice news for the week of March 11-17.

 

Litigation Against Food Companies is Increasing, But Who Benefits?

Lisa A. Rickard, U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform | Food Dive

Food labeled as “healthy,” “natural” or “preservative-free” might attract a consumer’s interest when shopping at their local grocery store. But these labels also attract plaintiffs’ lawyers looking to cash in on different interpretations of those words.

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The Food Court: Trends in Food and Beverage Class Action Litigation

U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform

If you eat, then you are probably a member of a class action. In fact, it is likely that without your knowledge, plaintiffs’ lawyers have told courts that they represent you in dozens of lawsuits.

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Pork Roll Farting Lawsuit Blows Over — Judge Says Woman Has No ‘Case’

Adam Hochron | NJ101.5

A federal judge has thrown out a woman’s discrimination lawsuit against a famed New Jersey pork roll company that she claimed made her quit her job after firing her husband for constantly passing gas.

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This Guy Just Wants Papa John’s to Stop Texting Him

Fox News

Better ingredients, better pizza…too many texts? A man is suing Papa John’s for sending him so many text messages that it allegedly triggered extreme anxiety and emotional distress.

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Wal-Mart Sued, Accused of Selling Fake Craft Beer

Fritz Hahn | Washington Post

If you believed the Trouble Brewing beers sold at Wal-Mart are truly craft beers, instead of private-label beers produced at a large industrial brewery in Rochester, New York, you’re not alone. But one Cincinnati beer drinker is so mad that he’s suing the world’s largest company over what he’s calling the “wholesale fiction” around the ales, seeking compensatory damages “in an amount to be determined at trial.”

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Not-So-Classy Actions

Bernie Pacyniak | Candy Industry

I’m not a morning television person, even if it involves news entertainment shows such as ABC’s “Good Morning America” and NBC’s “Today” programs. Mornings can be harsh enough in this world, particularly in the dead of winter in Chicago, so I opt for music until I reach the office. So when Bob Garrison, editor of Prepared Foods Magazine, emailed me the story about Jeff Rossen of “Today” investigating “underfilled” theater box candies on “Today” last week, my interest was piqued.

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Kona Beer is Not From Hawaii, Consumers Say in Lawsuit

Jonathan Stempel | Reuters

The maker of Kona craft beer was sued on Tuesday by two California shoppers who claim they were deceived into believing the beer was made in Hawaii, causing them to overpay for it.

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Seagram’s Ginger Ale Has No Ginger, Lawsuit Complains

Wadi Reformado | Legal Newsline

A California woman has filed a class action lawsuit Coca-Cola, alleging fraud and negligent misrepresentation. According to the complaint, [Jackie] Fitzhenry-Russell suffered monetary damages from being misled into purchasing a falsely labeled Seagram’s Ginger Ale product. The plaintiff alleges the defendants said their product was made from real ginger despite not having any ginger in the ginger ale.

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Woman Claims Flesh-Eating Screwworms Ate Her ‘From the Inside Out’

Lindsey Bever | Washington Post

A woman in south-central Texas is suing Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen, claiming the restaurant’s red beans and rice contained flesh-eating New World screwworms that have ravaged her body over the past two years…. But scientists say such a scenario is not possible.

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Disability Discrimination Suit Over McDonald’s Drive-Thrus Clears Hurdle

Jacob Gershman | Wall Street Journal

A federal judge in Chicago ruled that a blind man can bring a discrimination suit against McDonald’s over the company’s alleged policy of excluding pedestrians from its drive-thru windows.

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