The Meatball Shop Sues Jersey Shore’s Snooki and Deena over Merch
Jersey Shore alums Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi and Deena Cortese are in hot sauce this week for a line of “Meatball”-related merch.
The Meatball Shop filed a lawsuit against the duo, alleging trademark infringement, according to TMZ. The legal papers also claim that Polizzi and Cortese lifted the restaurant’s merchandise for use on their “Team Meatball” site, and ignored a cease and desist letter. As of today, a limited range of T-shirts, hats and sweatshirts branded with phrases like “Meatball Squad” and “Team Meatball” are still available.
The pals nicknamed each other “the meatballs” while on Jersey Shore due to their petite stature and Italian heritage.
The lawsuit further alleges the reality stars ruined the brand’s good name with the meatball merchandise, with The Meatball Shop seeking a court-ordered injunction banning further sales, as well as monetary damages.
The Meatball Shop was founded on Stanton Street in 2010 by high school buddies Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow. It became an instant hit, and other locations followed. The original shop shuttered this past February.
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