SBUX · News · 20260921N

Litigation and Legal Risk

STARBUCKS CORP · 2026-09-21 · Importance 37 · Surprise 42

Starbucks won four of five cases against the National Labor Relations Board in the Fifth Circuit during 2026. The company has pursued a venue-shopping strategy that enables disputes originating elsewhere to be heard in the Fifth Circuit. The outcomes raise regulatory and litigation risk concerning judicial oversight of the NLRB and the agency’s role in labor-law enforcement.

Key facts

• Starbucks uses a "venue shopping" strategy that allows it to choose the Fifth Circuit even when the disputes did not originate there. source
• Starbucks has won four out of five cases this year in the Fifth Circuit against the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). source