BLABBERMOUTH.NET
The estate of
PANTERA guitarist
"Dimebag" Darrell Abbott has filed a lawsuit against
Dean Guitars, with whom he has had an endorsement deal for a number of years.
The news of the legal dispute was shared earlier today on social media by
Dimebag's longtime girlfriend and trustee of his esate,
Rita Haney. She wrote: "After much consideration, it is with great sadness that I announce the longstanding relationship between
Dimebag and
Dean Guitars is over. Unfortunately, we were forced to file a lawsuit against
Dean Guitars on Monday, August 16th, for the reason set forth in the complaint that may be viewed at www.dimebagdarrell.com. It was necessary for us to end
Dime's endorsement of
Dean Guitars to continue to honor and celebrate his legacy the way he deserves, and in the way he had laid it out.
"We do not make this decision lightly and it is with a heavy heart that we share this news with you,
Dime's loyal fans. As you know, after signing the deal with
Dean Guitars in 2004, Dime was ecstatic to finally be working with the one and only,
Mr. Dean Zelinsky, who's been gone from the company since 2008.
Darrell had voiced several times that it was like going home where he belonged. It was something he was enormously proud of.
"I have spent days, re-reading through all of
Darrell's guitar notes, lists, letters, and drawings (some not yet released). knowing
Darrell's wishes and seeing them written down on paper, once again, after all these years solidifies that he would not have stayed. I want to see
Dime's words followed through and to have his legacy reach the level he intended.
"I made several attempts to amicably settle our dispute with
Dean Guitars. however, it became clear to me that
Dimebag's relationship with
Dean Guitars had come to an end when the new CEO of
Dean Guitars told me that
Dime has been dead for 16 years and they could not make the money they once did.. (so basically, he's used up???) and then continued on to tell me i should go somewhere else. Well... we will!
"Moving forward, our goal will be to ensure the rightful and respectful celebration of
Dime's legacy and the indelible mark he and his music made on this world. It is with absolute conviction that we say that this can no longer happen whilst continuing to partner with
Dean Guitars.
"As fans, we hope that you feel as we do. Our love for
Dime has not wavered in the 16 plus years since his passing and he is still as relevant to us today, despite what we have been told by
Dean Guitars. We want to capture the 'spirit of the deal' that was discarded by
Dean Guitars, like it should have always been done. In this spirit, we soon hope to have more positive news to share with you regarding the future of '
Dime guitars.'
"
Dime loved his fans so very much, in return, you guys have never wavered in your loyalty and love for him. We cannot thank you enough for your continued support.
"Long live
Dimebag Darrell! Getcha pull!"
Dimebag's affiliation with
Dean goes back to when he was 14. He played
Dean guitars throughout
PANTERA's heyday in the mid-1990s. He switched to
Washburn Guitars late in the decade, a time when
Dean Guitars had practically disappeared from the American market. But when
Dimebag's contract with
Washburn ended, he inked an endorsement deal with
Dean, which
Elliot Rubinson had revived.
Dimebag died three weeks later at the age of 38.
In the lawsuit,
Haney calls
Dean's current CEO
Evan Rubinson, the son of the late
Elliot Rubinson, "incredibly disrespectful and often times belligerent to the legacy of
Abbott. He acted without regard for the success
Abbott brought to his father's company, and to which ultimately contributed to his inheritance," the complaint reads. "Given the misdealings uncovered by
Ms. Haney, she felt that
Dean Guitars had taken complete advantage of
Abbott over the years and refused to continue a business relationship with
Dean Guitars unless
Dean Guitars was willing to right its wrongs."
The complaint goes on to accuse
Dean Guitars of breaching its endorsement agreement with
Dimebag in that it "never paid the contracted amount for each full cover photo that have been printed with
Abbott playing a
Dean guitar, with the
Dean Guitars' logo and/or trademark prominently displayed; failed to provide the imported and domestic models for each line of
Abbott endorsed guitars produced by
Dean Guitars, and other guitars for personal and promotional use; fraudulently, in conjunction with
Concordia and without the knowledge of
Abbott, registered the trademark for Razorback and the Razorback guitar design, both of which were the sole property of
Abbott, in
Concordia's name; in conjunction with
Concordia, transferred the Razorback trademark, which was the sole property of
Abbott, to a third party without the knowledge of
Abbott; and in conjunction with
Concordia, acquired the registered trade dress for the guitar design known as the Dime3 in its own name, without
Abbott's knowledge and without recognizing
Abbott as a joint owner."
Dimebag and his brother
Vinnie Paul co-founded
PANTERA. When
PANTERA broke up in 2003, they formed
DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with
DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio,
Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by a troubled schizophrenic who believed that the members of
PANTERA were stealing his thoughts.