Podcast - The FTC Takes Action Against Old Southern Brass for False "Made in the USA" Claims
Podcast - FTC's Approach to Made in the USA Claims
Proposition 65 – Changes That Will Impact the Cannabis Sector
PODCAST: Williams Mullen's Trending Now: An IP Podcast - False and Misleading Advertising, Label Review
Cannabis Counsel Cast: What Cannabis Companies Need to Know About California’s Prop. 65 (Even if They Aren’t in California)
I Wish I Knew What I Know Now: Conversations with AGG on FDA Issues - Pandemic Marketing 101: Do’s and Don’ts to Market Your Brands, Products, and Services Safely
Blakes Continuity Podcast: Entering the COVID-19 Marketplace: Proceed with Care
Podcast: Non-binding Guidance: Former FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb’s Unfinished Business
On Feb. 11, 2025, the Missouri Court of Appeals for the Eastern District in Durnell v. Monsanto Co., upheld a jury verdict awarding $1.25 million in compensatory damages to plaintiff John Durnell from defendant Monsanto Co....more
On January 3, 2025, outgoing US Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy released a new advisory outlining the alleged causal link between alcohol consumption and cancer, claiming “numerous high-quality observational studies and...more
For over three decades, federal preemption of state failure to warn claims has served as a powerful defense in strict liability tort cases. Courts have consistently dismissed lawsuits challenging the adequacy of warnings for...more
In 2022, over 500 plaintiffs filed a case alleging that Merck Sharp & Dohme Corp., a drug manufacturing company, failed to provide adequate warnings that one of their drugs increased the risk of atypical femoral fractures....more
The manufacturers and retailers of over-the-counter generic Zantac (ranitidine) have secured an important appellate victory in California state court. On March 9, the San Francisco-based California Court of Appeal, First...more
Last week, a split-panel of the Tenth Circuit affirmed the district court’s dismissal of a false advertising case in which plaintiffs alleged that “Product of the U.S.A.” labels on various beef products were misleading...more
This year – 2022 – may finally be the year that the effort to modernize safety standards in the U.S. for cosmetics and other personal care products, which has been ongoing since 2013, comes to fruition. If so, the new...more
In October of this year, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals analyzed the issue of federal preemption in the context of poultry product labeling. The plaintiff in Cohen v. ConAgra Brands, Inc., brought a putative class action...more
A few months ago, we analyzed the Ninth Circuit’s decision in Webb v. Trader Joe’s Company, No. 19-56389 (June 4, 2021), which held that a private plaintiff’s challenge to poultry labeling claims were preempted by federal...more
Takeaway: The quickest, most efficient way to kill a putative class action remains a successful Rule 12 motion to dismiss. But in ruling on such a motion, a district court generally cannot stray beyond the allegations in...more
This week, the Ninth Circuit explores the constitutionality of a state statute aimed at protecting consumer information given to car dealers, and clarifies the preemptive scope of federal regulatory approval of food labels. ...more
In a unanimous precedential decision, a Ninth Circuit panel recently affirmed the dismissal of a putative class action against Trader Joe’s, which alleged that the statement “Up to 5% Retained Water” on Trader Joe’s poultry...more
Earlier this month, this blog analyzed the preemption provisions of the Federal Meat Inspection Act (FMIA) and the Poultry Products Inspection Act (PPIA), which together regulate the labeling of meat and poultry products. We...more
This blog previously reported on the Seventh Circuit oral argument in Bell v. Albertson Companies Inc.—a case turning on whether a reasonable consumer would understand the phrase “100% Grated Parmesan cheese” on a cheese...more
Federal law expressly authorizes manufacturers of dietary supplements to make “structure/function” claims—that is, claims about the effect of particular nutrients on the structure or function of the human body. (Think:...more
What distinguishes a “cosmetic” from a “drug” under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA)? The FDA has struggled to offer clear guidance on the distinction, but the classification as one or the other (or both)...more
The U.S. Supreme Court’s 2019 decision in Merck Sharp & Dohme, Inc. v. Albrecht, 139 S.Ct. 1668 (2019), discussed... addressed impossibility preemption in label change lawsuits. In Albrecht, the Supreme Court purported to...more
A California federal judge tossed a proposed class action against allegedly “worthless” biotin dietary supplements on preemption grounds earlier this week, citing the Ninth Circuit’s recent decision in Dachauer v. NBTY, Inc.,...more
Pro Te: Solutio returns for its second edition of 2019. As the year grinds on, our attorneys at Butler Snow are taking proactive and creative steps to confront and solve the issues that affect our areas of practice. The...more
LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS & STANDARDS - FDA Study Finds Sunscreen is Absorbed into Bloodstream - JAMA has published a study conducted by researchers at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Center for Drug...more
The Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution declares federal law to be the “supreme Law of the Land.” Thus, when federal law and state law conflict, the state law is “preempted,” or rendered without effect. Under...more
In its latest opinion addressing class action claims related to allegedly misleading labels, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal held that individual class members need not show they relied on allegedly misleading statements...more
Chicago Repeals SSB Tax After Two Months of Enforcement - Chicago officials have voted to repeal a sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax approved in November 2016 by the Cook County Board of Commissioners but delayed by a...more
FDA Announces Final FSMA Produce Safety Rule - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has announced that the produce safety rule of the Food Safety and Modernization Act of 2010 (FSMA) is now final, establishing...more
Summer is in full swing and certain topics are (staying) hot—especially regulatory issues, from new proposed rules to challenges to case law to strategic considerations. Generic preemption remains a hot topic. In Storm...more