Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is suing a manufacturer of luxury, custom-made beds and linens for alleged trademark infringement.
Farmington, Utah-based Maree Inc. and founder Erica Gleaton are named as defendants in the lawsuit that was filed Tuesday in the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Maree Inc. is a brand popular with all kinds of athletes, as evidenced by the company’s Instagram page, which features several photos of well-known figures including Shaquille O’Neal and Marshawn Lynch.
A complaint in the case explains that in March, Mariah Riddlesprigger, Giannis’ longtime girlfriend and fiancé, reached out to the owner of Maree Inc. via text message to inquire about the possibility of having some of the company’s products shipped to Greece.
In April, Antetokounmpo placed an order worth $92,000 for five custom-made beds. Despite paying Maree Inc. to manufacture and ship the beds to Greece by June 14, the complaint alleges the company failed to make any delivery. Once the beds were delivered, several were missing key parts, according to the complaint.
“On one bed, the headboard lacked the necessary fittings to connect properly with the rest of the bed frame, and the legs and bases of the beds were missing rendering the bed frame unusable,” according to the complaint. “Another bed was delivered with a defective, torn fabric, while the screws provided did not fit properly, thereby leading to improper attachment of bed slats.”
Antetokounmpo claims he attempted to resolve the issue with Maree Inc. directly, but Gleaton became unresponsive. To date, Antetokounmpo says he has only received 11 of the 43 items delivered. He also claims to have incurred shipping costs exceeding $20,000.
Maree Inc. also allegedly used Antetokounmpo’s name and likeness without prior consent in the form of an Instagram post. The post, made in July 2021, implied that Antetokounmpo “endorses or is otherwise somehow affiliated” with the company, according to the complaint.
Antetokounmpo seeks to recover a full refund in the amount of $95,391 and action preventing Maree Inc. from using his name, image or likeness in the future.
In a statement issued Wednesday, Maree Inc. said it was saddened Antetokounmpo decided to move forward with a lawsuit despite them having a “longstanding relationship” and that his management team is “misinformed.”
“At the core of this situation the product was shipped completely intact, therefore the lawsuit is a complete fabrication,” according to the statement. “It also does not accurately represent that the management team for Mr. Antetokounmpo assumes that shipping internationally would be at free expense. They have consistently refused to pay the international vendor despite multiple attempts from the third-party shipping company. On top of this, we have the express permission to use his name and imagine in marketing per the terms of our signed contract, for which he received a discount on the services and products he purchased. We hope that this can get quickly and fully resolved and in the meantime, we’ll continue to reach for a resolution with Mr. Antetokounmpo and his management team.”
Antetokounmpo’s legal counsel did not respond to a request for comment Wednesday.
