This sounds like it’s going to be a tough win for them — but they’re up for the fight!
Nancy Green, aka the original Aunt Jemima, became the first Aunt Jemima “Mammy” back in 1890, and according to her descendants… well, she’s due a lot of money! And they’re not alone!
The heirs from other people who appeared as Aunt Jemima in ads say that their ancestors were promised money from ads that they never received!
And they’re suing for $2 billion!
But the owners of the brand, Quaker Oats, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, aren’t worried at all. They said in a statement:
“The image symbolizes a sense of caring, warmth, hospitality and comfort and is neither based on, nor meant to depict any one person. While we cannot discuss the details of pending litigation, we do not believe there is any merit to this lawsuit.”
Well, we’re not so sure about the image symbol of Aunt Jemima, because some might say there’s definitely a history of racial exploitation there, but Quaker might be right about the lawsuit.
[ Photos: Craziest Foods Ever! ]
Reportedly, there are no contracts anywhere between any Aunt Jemima models and PepsiCo, which seems strange, but it was a different time, so who knows!
Lawyer Don Cox explained that the plaintiffs are “throwing the dice” because:
“This happened so long ago and continued for so long with nobody doing anything about it. If a person doesn’t take action within an applicable period of time, their claim goes away.”
A ton of time has passed, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens between these two sides!
[Image via PepsiCo.]
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