Legislative, Regulatory & Legal

Washington, D.C. – Law firm Seyfarth Shaw LLP has launched a blog about the Americans With Disabilities Act. The blog, called the ADA Title III News & Insights Blog (Adatitleiii.com), is designed as an accessibility law resource for any business that opens its doors to the public.

New York -- Kenneth Cole Productions said its board has approved founder Kenneth Cole's offer to buy up the remaining part of the company that he doesn't already own in a deal worth $245 million.

Cole, currently the chairman and CEO of Kenneth Cole, holds about 46% of its outstanding common stock and controls 89% of its voting power. He will pay $15.25 for each share of the company that he doesn't already own.

Washington, D.C. -- The National Retail Federation released Tuesday the Top 10 cities for organized retail crime activity.

Topping the list is Atlanta. The other nine are:

Walmart shareholders may wish the company were investigated more often, judging from the performance of shares since alleged violations by the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act first surfaced.

Walmart share’s closed Friday at $65.55, or 5% higher than the $62.45 price they were trading at on Friday, April 20 before The New York Times first reported on allegations of FCPA violations.

EDLP (every day low price) and EDLC (every day low cost) are the most familiar acronyms at Walmart, but FCPA (Foreign Corrupt Practices Act) is giving them a run for their money these days.

Walmart shareholders upset by allegations of Foreign Corrupt Practices Act violations expressed their displeasure with the Walmart board by casting an unusually large number of negative votes against company insiders last Friday.

Several major shareholders had vowed to vote against key board members in advance of the annual shareholders’ meeting, although the move was seen as largely symbolic since the Walton family and other company insiders control a sufficient number of shares to ensure the defeat or passage of any proposal.

CINCINNATI — Kroger has joined other food retailers in moving towards a policy of only offering products made from gestation-crate-free pigs. The company announced that it has begun informing suppliers of a new policy statement regarding gestation crates that are used to house pregnant sows.

Bentonville, Ark. -- Wal-Mart Stores on Monday released the tally of its shareholder vote on Friday in which all directors of its board reelected. The voting showed some dissent against key executives and board members, including CEO Mike Duke, in the wake of allegations of bribery in Mexico.

According to the tally, CEO Mike Duke received 87% of votes in favor of his re-election. In other results, Chairman Robson Walton, son of Sam Walton received 87% in favor of re-election, and former CEO Lee Scott received 84%.

Deerfield, Ill. -- Pharmacy benefits manager Express Scripts and Walgreens said Friday they are ending a legal dispute. However, the decision has no impact on their ability to agree to business terms.

Walgreens said last June that it would stop filling prescriptions for Express Scripts Holding Co. members when a contract between the companies expired. It said Express Scripts was not paying it enough money.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart held its annual shareholders’ meeting Friday morning against the backdrop of the company’s 50th anniversary and allegations of corruption in Mexico.

The seemingly diametrically opposed situations presented senior executives with the opportunity to underscore how the company’s unique culture and such enduring values as integrity would power future growth.