There's a civil war brewing among a Dallas family whose name has been synonymous with the State Fair of Texas for nearly eight decades.
Fletcher's Original State Fair Corny Dogs filed suit late last week against the mother-daughter duo who opened "Fletch" earlier this year, bringing their own fried fair food into DFW's catering scene.
That lawsuit, filed Thursday, alleges "willful trademark infringement and unfair competition."
"We actually found out by people calling us and congratulating us on our new venture. We had no idea," said Amber Fletcher, Fletcher's head of marketing and daughter of the company's late patriarch Skip Fletcher.
Skip was also the grandfather of defendant Jace Fletcher, who claims she had her grandmother's blessing to move forward with the company.
"My goal having 2-year-old twin boys was just to produce a healthier fried food concept I guess you could say, and I wanted to deliver to birthday parties. That was the essence of it," said Jace.
As for the name, she says it was simple. She says Fletch is a nickname she's had for years.
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After launching in February, Fletch started popping up in places like AT&T Stadium and Texas Motor Speedway with no plans to sell at the State Fair.
Still the lawsuit, along with a cease and desist letter sent to Jace and her mother in July, point to about a dozen different social media posts and advertisements in which people confuse Fletch for Fletcher's.
"I want to be able to control that reputation that we've been bringing for 80 years. I just want the consumer confusion to stop. Let's honor the legacy of my father and grandfather by not confusing the consumers and just change the name," said Amber.
But with just days to go before Fletch opens its doors, Jace argues her sales don't take place at the State Fair where Fletcher's has operated exclusively for many years.
Though Fletcher's did start up its own catering business earlier this year, Jace argues her company doesn't resemble it.
"It a different name. It's a different geography. It's a different application. These are all my recipes," said Jace.
You can read the full story from our media partners at The Dallas Morning News by clicking here.
