Jessica Simpson’s company, With You LLC, filed a lawsuit against the owner of a small online apparel retailer, Jessica’s Everything Shop, saying the latter refused a settlement that would allow both parties to “live and let live.”
According to the complaint filed in Manhattan federal court, Jessica’s Everything Shop owner Jessica Tirado attempted to improperly trademark “Jessica” without a surname, which With You said could cause confusion and open Simpson up to lawsuits from Tirado for using her name.
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Simpson’s company offered a settlement to Tirado in attempt to dissuade her from pursuing her trademark, but the latter rejected the agreement and instead asked for a cash payout.
“With You has a policy that it does not make any such payments, inasmuch as doing so invites ‘troll plaintiff’s attorneys’ to file claims against With You, believing that With You will, in each instance, pay monies,” the suit stated.
According to the filing, Tirado’s attorney rejected With You’s settlement without payment, and “began to run up legal costs in the opposition proceeding, e.g., by proffering needless discovery.” The company then said it was “left with no alternative but to protect its position by filing this lawsuit.”
The lawsuit also detailed how Simpson’s company has “always coexisted” with other Jessicas, such as Jessica Alba, Jessica Biel and Jessica Chastain.
Simpson launched her fashion label, The Jessica Simpson Collection, in 2005 and went on to grow the company to a reported $1 billion in revenue by 2014. When part-owner Sequential Brands Group Inc., filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2021, Simpson spent $65 million to regain total control of the brand.
Jessica’s Everything Shop sells items such as novelty and custom T-shirts. Tirado has not responded to a request for comment on the suit.
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