Snoop Dogg Sues Pabst Brewing Over Endorsement of Gross "Malt Beverage"
On Monday, Snoop Dogg filed a lawsuit against the Pabst Brewing Company, alleging the company violated his 2011 endorsement deal for Colt 45 Blast, the Associated Press reports.
Colt 45 Blast, of course, is a Pabst-brewed “juice flavored malt beverage,” the class of sugary, youth-marketed malt liquors that includes dorm room favorites like Four Loko and Joose.
According to the lawsuit, Snoop Dogg’s “brand ambassador” contract entitled him to 10 percent of what the Colt 45 brand was sold for last year—money the rapper says he never received. From CNBC:
A phantom-equity clause in the contract Snoop signed with Pabst when he was hired as a Colt 45 brand ambassador in 2011 entitled him to a tenth of Colt 45’s net sales price in the event the brewing company was sold before 2016, he claims in his lawsuit.
It just so happens that is exactly what happened.
In 2014, TSG Consumer Partners, a San Francisco-based private equity firm, bought Pabst and its subsidiaries, including Colt 45, for a reported $700 million, according to court documents. Those documents do not reveal, however, how much 10 percent of Colt 45’s net sale price might be.
Last night, Pabst responded to the lawsuit by offering to just, like, talk it out, guy.
“We have not been contacted by Snoop Dogg or his representatives about this issue,” a Pabst spokesperson told The Hollywood Reporter. “We are investigating the matter and would be happy to talk to Snoop or his representatives to try to get to the bottom of this.”
[Image via Getty Images]