Grumpy Cat‘s moment in the cultural zeitgeist peaked at some point in 2012, but the famously dour feline is back in the news thanks to a litigious action undertaken by her owner. Tabitha Bundesen, who has built a Grumpy Cat business based around her pet, has been awarded $710,001 in damages after alleging a California beverage company overstepped the boundaries of a licensing agreement.
In 2013, Bundesen’s company, Grumpy Cat Limited, struck a pact with the Grenade beverage company in order to sell an iced coffee drink called Grumpy Cat Grumpuccino, The Washington Post reports. Two years later, without Bundesen’s permission, Grenade launched a Grumpy Cat Roasted Coffee Line, which led the aggrieved cat owner to file a lawsuit. In an 2016 countersuit, Grenade claimed that Grumpy Cat Limited did not hold up its end of the original bargain and “refused to provide any continuing support whatsoever.”
“Ironically, while the world-famous feline Grumpy Cat and her valuable brand are most often invoked in a tongue-and-cheek fashion, Defendants’ despicable misconduct here has actually given Grumpy Cat and her owners something to be grumpy about,” reads the original complaint.
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Ultimately, a California jury ruled in favor of the cat, her owner, and their business. David Jonelis, the attorney for Grumpy Cat Limited, referred to the decision as a “just verdict.”
Grumpy Cat, whose real name is Tardar Sauce, became an internet celebrity in 2012 thanks to the permanent frown affixed upon her face. Her scowling countenance inspired a popular meme and led to several opportunities for the feline and her owner. Among other ventures, Grumpy Cat’s success inspired a Lifetime movie, a wax figure at Madame Tussauds, and — of course — a line of iced coffee products.
