Aunt Jemima’s Heirs Sue for Royalties

The great-grandchildren of Anna Short Harrington, the woman known for the “Aunt Jemima” logo, are seeking $2 billion in a class action lawsuit brought against a group of companies including PepsiCo and its subsidiary Quaker Oats. 

The suit accuses the companies of failing to pay Harrington and her heirs an “equitable fair share of royalties” from the pancake mix and syrup brand that uses her image and recipes.  The suit claims that Harrington had entered into a “written contractual agreement to play the actress role of aunt Jemima,” therefore, entitling her to royalties, including a percentage of the proceeds accumulated by the brand over the years.  Quaker oats is accused of lying to cover up employment of Harrington, and the heirs subsequently determined they were owed royalties when the discovered the company trademarked the image of their great-grandmother with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in 1937 and after they found a death certificate for Harrington that named the company as her employer.  The heirs accuse the companies of breach of contract, conspiracy, and fraud, also alleging Quaker Oats engaged in “industrial espionage” to procure Harrington’s trade secrets before failing to compensate her estate on an annual basis following her death. 

See Tom Huddleston, Jr., ‘Aunt Jemima’ Heirs Sue Pepsi, Quaker Oats for $2 Billion in Royalties, Fortune, Aug. 11, 2014.

Special thanks to Ryan Turner (a Texas lawyer) for bringing this article to my attention.