Civil Litigation
Jan. 30, 2026
Wine-tasting discovery fight centers on alleged exam leaks and sexual misconduct
A federal judge ordered the Court of Master Sommeliers-Americas to produce internal investigative records in a lawsuit by former students alleging a rigged 2018 wine-tasting exam and a leadership coverup of cheating and sexual misconduct.
The Court of Master Sommeliers-Americas -- one of the wine industry's most powerful credentialing bodies -- has been ordered by a San Francisco federal judge to produce internal investigative records into an alleged 2018 cheating scandal, amid accusations of a sexual misconduct coverup at the organization.
On Thursday, U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas S. Hixson ordered the body to produce the documents in a lawsuit brought by three former students who seek to have their titles of ...
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