The Guardian: Martha Stewart is in court to defend her company in a fight between Macy’s and JC Penney.
The Guardian: Martha Stewart is in court to defend her company in a fight between Macy’s and JC Penney.
The case revolves around the issue of whether Penney’s 2011 deal with Stewart violates a pre-existing deal to sell many of Stewart’s goods through Macy’s. Macy’s says they have exclusive rights to the products that are branded with Stewart’s well-known name.
Meanwhile Stewart’s company insists that it is allowed to pursue other deals and the Macy’s agreement covers only specific goods and brands.
But, as with all things Stewart, the trial has become as much about the drama of her reputation and personality as much as the more obscure parts of American contract law. Some court testimony has portrayed Stewart as abandoning Macy’s CEO Terry Lundgren – a close personal friend – so she could enrich her troubled company.
