(only in Wisconsin....)
Andy Griffith sues Andy Griffith
POSTED: 11:09 a.m. EST, November 11, 2006
MILWAUKEE, Wisconsin (AP) -- Forget the small-town belief in letting
bygones be bygones.
The star of "The Andy Griffith Show," who portrayed the sheriff of
the fictional town of Mayberry, has sued a Wisconsin man who
unsuccessfully ran for the Grant County post after legally changing
his name to Andrew Jackson Griffith.
The lawsuit, filed November 3 in U.S. District Court in Madison,
alleges that William Harold Fenrick, 42, violated trademark and
copyright laws, as well as the privacy of actor Andy Samuel Griffith,
when he used his new name to promote his candidacy for sheriff in
southwestern Wisconsin.
The lawsuit says the former Fenrick changed his name for the "sole
purpose of taking advantage of Griffith's notoriety in an attempt to
gain votes." It asks the court to order him to go back to his
original name.
The actor's lawsuit also asks Griffith to publish disclaimers and an
apology in Grant County newspapers that say he has no association
with the actor. It seeks unspecified damages and court fees.
"Now that the election is over, if Fenrick is willing in some fashion
to clear the record, we probably could find a way to resolve it,"
said the actor's lawyer, Jim Cole.
Griffith argues that he did not benefit from the name change.
"During this campaign I never sold or profited even one nickel from
the use of the name Andy Griffith or any item bearing the name Andy
Griffith. Everything was a promotional item, and everything was given
away for free," he said.
The Platteville music store co-owner said he spent $5,000 on his
failed campaign and changed his name to garner publicity for the race.
Incumbent Sheriff Keith Govier, a Republican who has held the post
for 10 years, won with 8,452 votes, followed by Democrat Doug
Vesperman with 6,985 votes. Griffith, an independent, had 1,248 votes.
Griffith described the lawsuit as "incredibly absurd" and said he
does not think people actually believe he is the actor.
"For such an American icon, it's a pretty un-American thing to do to
me," said Griffith, who has about three weeks to respond to the filing.
The 80-year-old actor is best known for the 1960s show bearing his
name, which remains one of the most popular series in TV history. He
also played an unorthodox lawyer on "Matlock" in the 1980s and 1990s.