Snoop Dogg has earned himself a court date with Pabst Brewing Company. Snoop and his attorneys feel he is entitled to million dollars due to a breach of contract with the company, and he and the Pabst legal team will appear in court on October 31 to settle the dispute.
In 2011, Snoop signed a deal with Pabst to become the brand ambassador for the company's new fruit-flavored malt liquor line, Blast, which was marketed under the umbrella of Pabst's classic Colt 45 brand. Shortly after the contract was signed, Pabst was sold to a group of investors for about $700 million, and Blast was eventually discontinued.
Last June, Snoop filed a lawsuit against Pabst, in which he claimed he was deserving of a certain portion of the massive sale. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the suit is motivated by a "phantom equity clause" within the contract that reads:
"...in the event the Colt 45 brand were sold before January 2016, Mr. Broadus would be entitled to 10 percent of the price realized by the stockholders of Pabst in connection with the sale. The only exception to this is if the Colt 45 brand were sold to a subsidiary or affiliate of Pabst, or were sold in connection with a stock purchase/exchange among existing stockholders."
The next month, Pabst's lawyers filed a demurrer in order to negate Snoop's lawsuit, which was finally overruled by the judge last week (Feb. 24).
Snoop's primary lawyer, Alex Weingarten, believes he has evidence of an email that proves that Pabst deliberately amended the terms of the sale in order to avoid payment to Snoop.
Weingarten is also arguing that there is a conflict of interest within Pabst's legal team, as one of its members, Bert Deixler, used to represent Snoop years ago when he worked at a different firm.
Check back here on Halloween to learn of the trial's initial proceedings. Anyone gonna abstain from Colt 45 in solidarity with Snoop?
