Business news in brief

The Pennsylvania Department of Revenue, represented by lawyers from Ballard Spahr L.P., asked a U.S. Bankruptcy Judge in Philadelphia to dismiss or abstain from hearing a lawsuit by the Foxwoods Casino group seeking to retrieve the $50 million license fee Foxwoods paid in 2007. In connection with an April 1 bankruptcy filing, the Foxwoods group sued the state in May. The Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board revoked Foxwoods' license in 2010, and the group lost bids in state court to win back the $50 million. The Foxwoods group - formally known as Philadelphia Entertainment & Development Partners L.P. - has huge debts, including $55 million or more owed to RBS Citizens for a loan on land that has since been sold. Additional unsecured debt amounts to nearly $24 million, according to court documents. - Harold Brubaker

Lucinda Bromwyn Duncalfe has replace founder David Brussin as CEO at Monetate, the Conshohocken marketing software builder that counts Best Buy, QVC and Celebrity Cruises among its clients. Brussin stays on as executive chairman. Monetate has been staffing up in recent months to support a broader product line and possible initial public offering. Duncalfe served most recently as boss at Real Food Works, a Philadelphia veggie-meal-delivery start-up. - Joseph N. DiStefano

Seventy-one percent of Americans say they think the recession exerted a permanent drag on the economy, according to a survey released by Rutgers University. By contrast, in November 2009, five months after the recession officially ended, the Rutgers researchers found that only 49 percent thought the downturn would have lasting damage. About 42 percent of those surveyed say they have less pay and savings than before the recession began in late 2007. Just 7 percent say they're significantly better off. - AP

Pennsylvania-based Hershey Co. has sued LBB Imports L.L.C., which has its East Coast offices in New Jersey and New York, alleging that Nestlé S.A.'s Toffee Crisp and other products sold by the importer infringe on Hershey trademarks and license agreements. Hershey says the Toffee Crisp packaging resembles its own Reese's Peanut Butter Cups wrapper. The suit says that packaging for Toffee Crisp and Reese's "both have the same orange background color and both feature a slanting, yellow font with brown outlining." The lawsuit asks that LBB be stopped from advertising or selling the imported products. It also seeks damages. - The Record

Apple Inc. will show off its newest products Sept. 9. The iPhone and iPad maker set the date in invitations mailed to reporters and others who typically come to see the unveiling of Apple's latest twists on technology. These events have become an annual rite since the 2007 release of the iPhone. This year's gathering may be the most anticipated since Apple took the wraps off the iPad in 2010. Apple isn't giving clues about what's on the Sept. 9 agenda. The company is widely expected to release an iPhone with a larger screen. - AP

The National Association of Realtors said its seasonally adjusted pending home sales index rose 3.3 percent to 105.9 last month. Still, the index remains 2.1 percent below its level a year ago. Pressures that caused home sales to stall last year have started to ease. The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate has dropped to 4.1 percent, a 52-week low. Prices are no longer rising at double-digit annual rates, thereby helping to improve affordability. Pending sales are a barometer of future purchases. - AP

Federal Reserve officials benefited from gains in asset prices that have boosted the wealth of millions of other Americans, financial disclosure reports show. Fed Chair Janet Yellen's assets were valued at $5.3 million to $14.1 million last year compared with a range of $4.8 million to $13.2 million in 2012, according to financial disclosure documents. The assets are listed in ranges, so determining a precise valuation isn't possible from the documents. - Bloomberg News

Dollar General executives said they're still pushing to buy North Carolina-based Family Dollar, but the retailer didn't offer any specifics on what it plans to do following Family Dollar's rejection of its $78.50-a-share bid. Family Dollar already agreed in July to be acquired by Virginia-based Dollar Tree, a smaller competitor, for $74.50 a share, made up of cash and stock. Tennessee-based Dollar General entered the picture last week with an unsolicited bid, which Family Dollar's board of directors rejected. That move has set the stage for a fight over Family Dollar, the nation's No. 2 dollar store. - Charlotte Observer

Shell is preserving its options to drill for oil in Arctic waters next year by filing a revised exploration plan with federal officials. A subsidiary of Royal Dutch Shell P.L.C. filed the revised plan Thursday with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management in Anchorage. The last time Shell drilled in Arctic waters was in 2012. - AP