Rohan Marley sued over coffee business deal

Rohan Marley,  son of the late Bob Marley, has found himself in hot water over a coffee business deal.

Marley has been sued by a  Shane Whittle, a former business partner who states that his idea for  marketing of a brand of coffee was stolen.Whittle filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, against Marley and several entities created during the coffee venture.

Whittle alleges breach of contract, fraud, conspiracy and breach of fiduciary duty. He said he was induced to invest US$600,000 in the project, and is now owed his share of its profits. 

In 2007, Whittle and Marley reportedly agreed to pursue the plaintiff’s idea to develop a brand of coffee, using the latter’s name and likeness.

Court papers state that Whittle was a successful businessman who developed the idea for the Marley Coffee Venture.  

Whittle argued, that after Marley Coffee became highly profitable, two of the companies being sued, Fifty-Six Hope Road and Hope Road Merchandising, began asserting that they owned the rights to any variation of the Marley name.