Food and Beverage
Our team has the industry understanding needed to represent companies in a variety of unique legal matters.
KEAN MILLER, YOUR COUNSELKean Miller is counsel to national, regional and local food and beverage providers in a variety of legal matters. Our experience includes business contracts, real estate, labor and employment law, product liability claims, intellectual property, trademarks, leasing, and class action litigation. We represent local restaurants and food manufacturers, national quick service and grocery chains, and global food companies with significant operations in the region.
Brand Management - Representation of a regional restaurant chain in protecting and enhancing its brand, trademarks, and copyrights.
- Litigation to enforce trademark and copyright infringement against competitors of a local restaurateur.
Business and Corporate - Representation of a seafood mix company in negotiations and contracts with national grocery store chains and restaurants.
- Representation of a regional cafeteria in the preparation of acquisition documents and due diligence in connection with its $35 million purchase of a seafood restaurants’ assets.
- Representation of a specialty foods company in its sale to another food company. The multi-million dollar transaction included unique intellectual property, trademark, and copyright negotiations, as well as complex valuations of the nationally distributed marinade maker.
- Representation of a retail grocery cooperative in general business matters and in construction issues for freezer expansions.
- Representation of a specialty foods and meat packing company in connection with acquisition of multi-million dollar food processing facility.
- Representation of an entrepreneur in connection with the acquisition of a local bar/restaurant
- Representation of a local businessman in connection with purchase of several franchised sandwich shops.
- Representation of a local fast-food restaurant in the preparation of corporate organizational documents and general advice regarding business and real estate issues for a location.
Class Action Litigation - Representation of a national can and jar manufacturer in a large class action suit involving alleged defects in products supplied to food companies for canning.
Commercial Real Estate - Representation of the regional bottler of a global soft drink in the relocation and expansion of a bottling facility in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
- Representation of national grocery store chain in commercial litigation involving the sale of land, contracts to sell land, and long-term lease obligations.
- Representation of a fast food chain and other fast food companies in connection with site acquisitions and permitting issues.
- Representation of a national grocery chain in litigation in which the company sought a recession of lease in New Orleans, Louisiana, and in litigation where the plaintiff sought to enjoin the sale of land to the company.
- Representation of a national grocer in litigation to enforce performance of a contract to sell land.
- Representation of a local restaurateur in real estate leases and sales.
- Representation of a cafeteria chain with regard to site acquisitions, ground leases, building leases, purchase agreements, shopping center leases, and construction disputes.
Insurance - Representation of a quick service restaurant company in litigation to recover insurance proceeds with regard to damage to its restaurants in the New Orleans area following Hurricane Katrina.
- Representation of a seafood and mix manufacturer with regard to a wide variety of insurance matters, including insurance claims, coverage disputes, and policy purchase advice.
- Representation of a retail grocery cooperative in insurance-related matters.
Intellectual Property - Representation of regional, multi-state cooperative of retail grocers, in business, contract, intellectual property, trademark, and copyright matters.
- Representation of a specialty foods manufacturer in a multi-million dollar transaction which included unique intellectual property, trademark, and copyright negotiations.
- Representation of numerous local restaurants in trademark and copyright matters.
Labor and Employment - Representation of a national poultry producer in complex labor and employment litigation.
- Representation of national fast-food restaurants in discrimination and harassment cases and EEOC charges.
- Representation of national fast-foot restaurants in FMLA matters, retaliation cases, union issues, policies and procedure advice, pay issues, supervisor training, drug testing, and workers’ compensation claims.
- Representation of a national grocery store chain for over 20 years in employment discrimination and benefits cases in Louisiana.
- Representation of a fast food chain in the development of employee handbooks and in a wide variety of labor and employment matters and litigation.
- Representation of a cafeteria chain in discrimination claims and sexual harassment cases.
Commercial Litigation - Representation of a carbon dioxide manufacturer who allegedly supplied carbon dioxide with excess sulfur to a soft drink bottler resulting in a claim in excess of $3 million. The Kean Miller team obtained a settlement of less than $700,000.
- Representation of a distributor in a complex dispute involving the transfer of a brand of beverage from one distributor to another following the purchase of one brewery by another. Kean Miller obtained a Temporary Restraining Order preventing the transfer of the distributorship. The matter was resolved before the hearing on preliminary injunction.
Products Liability - Representation of a national lunch meat company in a personal injury claim related to a foreign object in its product.
- Representation of a sandwich supply company in litigation involving alleged food poisoning cases.
- Representation of a national poultry producer in a wide variety of claims involving alleged ingestion of foreign substances, spoiled products, and other product liability claims.
- Representation of a major brewery in a personal injury claim involving allegations that a container in which beer bottles were transported was defective resulting in the bottles shattering and allegedly injuring the plaintiff.
Slip and Fall - Representation of the local management arm of an international fast-food chain in numerous slip and fall cases.
- Representation of a fast-food restaurant in a variety of slip and fall and soft tissue injury claims.
Regulatory - Representation of a food distributor before the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
- Representation of clients before the Louisiana Department of Agriculture.