Food and Beverage Litigation
- Holland & Knight's Food and Beverage Litigation Team represents clients in court and other adversarial venues in disputes over laws and regulations about products that consumers eat and drink. To help prevent litigation and government investigations, our lawyers also advise clients on regulatory compliance.
- We represent food, beverage and hospitality companies on the full range of issues they face, from soup to nuts. This includes contract and other commercial litigation, insurance coverage disputes, labor and employment issues, false advertising and consumer class action defense, intellectual property matters and government enforcement actions.
- Clients relying on our Food and Beverage Litigation Team's counsel include restaurant chains, hotels, craft and large-scale brewers, winemakers and distillers, food and beverage manufacturers, distributors and suppliers, convenience stores, supermarkets, developers of organic and artificial meat and dairy products, brand companies, supplement and additive manufacturers – and the private equity and public companies that own them.
Overview
Holland & Knight's Food and Beverage Litigation Team counsels clients on regulations that impact their businesses and mounts smart defenses against claims by competitors, class action plaintiffs, employees and unions, and government agencies. Businesses such as restaurant chains, hotels, craft and large-scale brewers, winemakers and distillers, supermarkets, convenience stores, a wide variety of food and beverage manufacturers – and the private equity groups and public companies that own them – rely on our lawyers' advice for guidance through bureaucratic mazes and contentious courtrooms.
Extensive Litigation Experience
Our attorneys have deep experience representing national and international full-service and quick-service retail chains, franchisees, distributors, manufacturers and suppliers in a wide range of litigation and other adversarial proceedings that address issues such as:
- labor and employment, including wage and hour issues, discrimination and retaliation claims, unfair labor practice charges and employee safety issues
- franchisee and licensee compliance
- intellectual property and branding
- land use, zoning and real estate
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) matters
- purported false advertising and unfair trade practices
- product liability
- organic labeling
- food and beverage distribution, wholesaling and retailing
- breach of contract issues, including those related to supply chains
- administrative enforcement actions, defense of age-restricted product licenses and appeals to state and federal courts
- underage drinking safeguards and other liability issues
- tax disputes
- securities
Regulatory Compliance and General Advice
Clients across the food and beverage industry rely on our attorneys to help prevent any need for litigation and other adversarial proceedings.
The lawyers on Holland & Knight's Food and Beverage Litigation Team have advised clients on regulatory issues such as:
- false advertising
- U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB), Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) compliance
- state and local alcohol license initiation, transfer and ongoing compliance
- state and local retail tax compliance
- marketplace facilitator compliance
- franchise disclosure documents and compliance with federal and state franchise laws and regulations
- COVID-19 compliance in the workplace
