Ruben and 205 Flava Settle Lawsuit

Remember when Ruben would almost always wear the “205” jerseys from 205 Flava while appearing on American Idol? He said he asked the company to provide the shirts so he could represent his hometown, which, as we all know by now, has a 205 area code. Later, he stopped doing so and then sued the company for using his likeness without permission.

The company counter-sued, claiming they had secretly paid Ruben, through his manager and brother, to promote the jerseys – something that would have been a definite no-no under American Idol rules unless the producers had approved it (which there is no indication they did). To back their claims, in early August the company even showed copies of checks totaling $10,000 made out to his brother and manager for Ruben to wear the jerseys. Their lawyer, LaVeeda Morgan Battle, claimed that Ruben had told them to keep it quiet because he knew he wasn’t allowed to have this contract while on the show.

Furthermore, Ruben’s lawsuit had claimed that it was his idea to print “205” in big numbers across the jersey, while 205 Flava’s attorney said they had been using the design before Ruben ever came to them.

Well, everybody can rest easy now. The lawsuit has been settled and all sides seem to be coming out winners, at least if we are to believe the little we are being told. Most of the details remain secret, but at this point, we know that Ruben got some concessions from the company – whether monetary, promotional, or what we don’t really know.

At the same time, 205 Flava is getting a big bonus because 19 Entertainment – the company that produces American Idol – will license and market the jerseys, according to a statement released by Ruben’s attorney, Byron Perkins.

Frankly, it sounds to me like the company came out further ahead in this than Ruben did, but without all the details, we can’t be certain. However, at least now Ruben can put this behind him and concentrate on promoting his Number 1 album, Soulful.

David Bloomberg is the Editor of Foxes On Idol, and can be reached at RNO@pobox.com.

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