'Aunt Jemima's' heirs sue product makers for $2 billion

wgal news 8 ^ | 8-11-2014 | Patrick M. Sheridan

[Citizen Zed]

The great-grandsons of a woman who depicted "Aunt Jemima" want $2 billion from the companies whose pancake products bear her name.

The two men accuse Quaker Oats, Quaker's parent company PepsiCo and Pinnacle Foods of theft of royalties, fraud and racial discrimination.

Quaker Oats is the maker of Aunt Jemima pancake mixes and syrup. Pinnacle Foods currently makes Aunt Jemima frozen pancakes, waffles and French toast.

In their suit, D.W. Hunter and Larnell Evans say Quaker Oats representatives discovered their great-grandmother making pancakes at the New York State Fair in 1935. Anna S. Harrington portrayed the character in commercials and other public appearances for 15 years.

The suit says Quaker used Harrington's pancake recipes and trademarked her likeness as the character "Aunt Jemima" in 1937.

The great-grandsons say Quaker exploited Harrington with the intent of not paying royalties toward her estate after her death in 1955. They claim the companies conspired not to acknowledge Harrington's status as an employee of Quaker Oats by saying they could not find any employment records or images of her. But they say, Quaker had her image deposited with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.

[running_dog_lackey]

Wow, think how much money the Chrysler Corp must owe Hernando De Soto’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandchildren.

[catnipman]

Quaker Oats should make a good faith effort to settle with these heirs: I think an offer of a couple of cases of syrup would be more than a fair offer.

[Impala64ssa]

I'm waiting for "native Americans" to join the discussion.
Hey, let's not forget the Irish

Still waiting for the Emerald Society and the Hibernians to jump on the I'M OFFENDED bandwagown. Not to mention the Italians

Did the Son's of Italy or the Italian Anti-Defamation league declare jihad against Nintendo yet?

[uglybiker]

She talks like a typical gangsta rapper.

Tell the gansta he talks like Aunt Jemima.

[Elsie]

Heck; GOD should sue the Mormons; for using HIS name and giving Him HIS proper due!

[hattend]

Yo mama was a Whore!

[dennisw]

Sue them for 2 trillion!!!

[MinuteGal]

A good friend of mine was the late Bill Redmond who served in the Illinois House as a State Rep and Speaker of the House during the years 1959 to 1981 (Bensenville, D.) .

He was a model as a little boy. In 1913 he became the first logo face on the Sun Maid Raisin boxes which also bore under his likeness the slogan "I Spent My Nickel For Little Sun Maid Raisins". His modeling earned him $1-$3 an hour in those days.

Today, as above freepers Dfwgator and Swordmaker have depicted in their posts, Sun Maid raisin boxes now have a dark-haired young lady in a red bonnet carrying a basket teeming with green grapes as the logo.

Leni

[Terry L Smith]

I would think, with the same basis for my being rejected as the inheritor of Standard Oil payments, because I was the grandson, they have a better chance of finding gold in the La Brea tarpits.

[morphing libertarian]

xlnt

[morphing libertarian]

don’t leave out Chief Pontiac