Gladys Knight & Son Settle “Chicken & Waffles” Restaurant Lawsuit
Exclusive: Gladys Knight & Son Settle “Chicken & Waffles” Restaurant Lawsuit - Page 2
Son Agrees To Remove Knight’s Name & Likeness From The Eateries
Gladys Knight and her son have reached a settlement in their family drama that played out in court over the “Gladys Knight Chicken and Waffles” chain of eateries.
The son, Shanga Hankerson, has agreed to remove her name and likeness from all locations by January, and the deal will bring an end to the legal battle.
Back in June, the Department of Revenue accused Hankerson of theft and tax evasion. Federal agents raided three Gladys Knight Chicken and Waffles locations in Georgia and shut down their operations.
The officials alleged Hankerson stole more than $650,000 in sales taxes and withholding taxes owed to the state. The total with penalties and interest exceeds $1 million. Knight had no role in the business and only allowed her son to use her name. Reportedly there are still two locations open in the ATL area.
The singer sued her son and his companies Rival Group, Cascade Foods and Granite Foods following the tax evasion allegations. She claimed to have sent a cease and desist in July but her son has yet to remove her name from the restaurants.
Knight allowed her son to use her name for over 10 years but the deal recently expired and she said in court papers that she wants nothing to do with the business.
She filed the lawsuit demanding the judge order her name be removed from all the restaurants.
Hankerson fired back at his famous mother and demanded her lawsuit be thrown out completely.
He explained, “Plaintiff’s claims are barred, in whole or in part, (because she) lack(s) of mental capacity to rescind the license agreement granted to Defendants.”
Hankerson said his mother’s claims are barred due to her breach of contract and said her lawsuit is a violation of a state court order. The son also said she has been paid for the use of her name on his restaurants and cannot void their deal because she’d been paid for it.
Knight’s’ son denied all the allegations of wrongdoing by his mother over his Chicken and Waffle joints and demanded her entire lawsuit be thrown out and his mother pay all the court costs.
The legendary singer fired back and accused her son of attempting to blackmail her with her private medical records.
She explained a judge granted her a default against Hankerson, because he didn’t file his response in time. However, her lawyer was contacted by her son’s attorney and allegedly threatened to reveal Gladys was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease.
Knight was furious with her son for trying to embarrass and harass her by concocting what she said was a lie about her mental state. The singer denied the allegations she had Alzheimer’s and demanded the default stay put, which would allow her to continue on by seeking a default judgment against her son.
She filed docs recently demanding the default she was granted and not be stayed, despite his pleas otherwise. Hankerson blasted her motion and pleaded for him to defend himself in the case and drop the default.
Then on December 7th, a final judgment, and permanent injunction was entered in the case stating the singer and her son have reached a settlement.
The order states the defendants have no ownership interest in Knight’s intellectual property and any license or right they had terminated on June 21st, 2016.
Knight’s son agrees to enter into a permanent injunction prohibiting him from using his mother’s name on his restaurants or engaging in conduct that will likely cause confusion or deception to the public about the singer’s involvement in the chain of restaurants.
The settlement states the defendants will completely phase-out their use of Knight’s name and likeness within seven days of this order at the Lithonia, Georgia location and by January for the Atlanta location.
However, if they fail to operate the restaurants in a high degree and uniformity in the goods sold and services provided, or fail to observe high ethical standards of operations or engage in any intentional, reckless or negligent activity that may harm Knight, the deal is off.
The settlement will bring an end to the nasty family legal battle once and for all – and just in time for the holidays.
