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SALT LAKE CITY — Legal representatives for Salt Lake City-based Traeger Pellet Grills announced Monday the company has settled most of the lawsuit that it had filed earlier this year against its founder and namesake, and the rival company he now works for.
Under the agreement, Traeger Grills founder Joe Traeger and other Traeger family members, as well as Arizona-based Dansons, Inc. — the company they currently work for — are permanently barred from using Traeger names, images or likenesses on any sort of marketing materials. The ban includes the Traeger barn image located in Oregon or the silhouette of the barn, as well as any references as Joe Traeger as the founder or creator of the wood pellet grill in advertising.
Traeger Grills CEO Jeremy Andrus said in a statement the company plans to move forward with other aspects of its lawsuit filed against Dansons, which it accused of misappropriating Traeger trade secrets and copying “every aspect” of their brand.
“This is a significant step forward in the effort to protect our brand. As we said from the beginning, we respect the right of the Traeger family to earn a living, so long as they do not violate their contracts with us,” his statement read. “The settlement agreement reached today provides strong protections against the future misuse of the Traeger name, barn or likenesses to confuse consumers or promote other grills as if they were genuine Traegers.
“We remain committed to protecting the Traeger brand, our investment, and the trust and loyalty of our community,” the statement added.
The settlement reached partially ends a feud that began last year when Joe and Brian Traeger joined Danson. It heated up in July when Traeger Grills filed two lawsuits in Arizona and Florida U.S. District Court locations against the family and the rival company.
One lawsuit alleged the Traeger Family of violating terms of a $12.4 million buyout deal reached in 2006, which included Traeger Grills receiving “exclusive and perpetual right to use defendants’ names, likenesses and reputations in the wood pellet grill industry.” The other lawsuit accused Dansons of using the Traeger name on its products.
At the time, the Dansons website highlighted products with Joe Traeger’s name and a photo of the family in front of a “Traeger” sign on a barn. It included legal notes at the bottom of the photo and text that stated “Dansons does not endorse, support or market with Traeger Grills, LLC” and “Dansons is in no way affiliated with Traeger Grills.”
A judge granted Traeger Grills a temporary injunction in early October, which banned Dansons from using the Traeger name and the Traegers from using their names for other companies. Dansons has since scrubbed any mention of the Traegers on its website.
Federal court records show the Traeger Family agreed to a settlement with Traeger Grills on Dec. 6. That lawsuit was officially closed five days later. The latest hearing in Traeger Grills lawsuit against Dansons was held on Dec. 12. Records don’t list when the next hearing will be held.
