ATLANTA -- A two-time world super middleweight boxing champion is coming out swinging against convenience-store chain RaceTrac Petroleum Inc., claiming the retailer stole his nickname when naming its private-label energy drink.
Jeff "Left Hook" Lacy alleges in a lawsuit filed in Georgia District Court that the Atlanta-based retailer engaged in trademark infringement and unlawful competition by launching and selling its Left Hook energy drink beginning in summer 2013.
Lacy is seeking damages of $519.8 million, as well as the removal of the drink from the marketplace.
In the lawsuit, Lacy and his co-plaintiff, manager Clay Dustin, say, "Mr. Lacy never authorized RaceTrac to use the Left Hook mark for its energy drink or otherwise. Accordingly, in March 2016 Mr. Lacy notified RaceTrac that its use of the Left Hook mark infringed his trademark rights."
The lawsuit claims that "RaceTrac showed absolute disregard for Mr. Lacy's rights and the impact that its unlawful actions had on him and the Left Hook mark by continuing its unlawful infringement unabated."
RaceTrac told CSP Daily News it could not comment on an ongoing legal case.
A member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team, Lacy, 40, is a two-time world champion, holding the IBF super middleweight world title in 2004 and IBO super middleweight world title in 2005. He successfully defended the titles four times.
Lacy claims boxing and Olympics fans who frequently shop RaceTrac convenience stores have expressed confusion in purchasing Left Hook energy drink and have said that their belief was the product was Jeff Lacy's energy drink.
With 455 locations, RaceTrac ranked No. 18 in a year-end update of CSP’s2017 Top 202 list of the largest c-store chains in the United States.
Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.