Vienna Beef, a Chicago maker of Vienna hot dogs, is suing Scott D. Ladany, grandson of one of the company’s founders, who is no longer affiliated with Vienna and owns a rival company, Red Hot Chicago.
The
Chicago Tribune
reported
that the suit, filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, claims Ladany’s company “either ripped off Vienna’s 118-year-old recipe or is lying by telling customers that its hot dogs are the real thing.”
Jim Bodman, Vienna Beef’s CEO, bought the company with a partner in the 1980s, the report noted. Vienna Beef is suing for trademark infringement, false advertising and unfair competition, as well as other claims.
Ladany, grandson of Vienna founder Samuel Ladany, was once employed by Vienna as a sales manager but has had no affiliation with the company since 1983, when he sold his 10 percent stake, according to the suit. At that time, Ladany signed employment and severance agreements, which included a gag order about Vienna’s secret recipes, the suit said.
Ladany started the Red Hot Chicago hot dog company in 1986, the
Tribune
article said.
Red Hot Chicago’s website doesn’t mention Vienna but repeatedly and prominently uses the tagline, “A family tradition since 1893.”
(Source:
Chicago Tribune,
June 6, 2011.)
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