One of the true treats of attending the Texas State Fair in Dallas is the chance to chomp on a freshly fried Fletcher’s Corny Dog.  Careful not to burn the roof of your mouth.  But there is trouble brewing and a full-fledged corny dog war is about to break out it would seem.  Various wings of the Fletcher family are now fighting over the trademark name.

In a lawsuit filed Thursday in Texas federal court, Fletcher’s Original State Fair Corny Dogs have sued mother and daughter Victoria Fletcher and Jace Christensen for selling corny dogs under the name “Fletch” to confuse consumers into buying their products. FOSFCD claim that Victoria and Jace are “estranged members” of the Fletcher family and are planning to open a “Fletch” restaurant right before the Texas State Fair begins next week to capitalize on the confusion.  .

FOSFCD dates back to 1942 when two brothers who had previously worked as vaudeville performers began selling corny dogs at the Texas State Fair.  Victoria Fletcher is divorced from the grandson of one of the original founders and neither she nor her daughter have any ownership interest in the family business according to the complaint.  But since February Victoria and Jace have been selling Fletch Corny Dog at various events, causing “a substantial amount of actual confusion”  as to whether the two brands are related.   However, Fletch is not selling corny dogs at the State Fair, so the likelihood of confusion seems limited at that venue.

And for the record, Red loves a good corn dog.