Tentative agreement for a settlement has been reached in Utah’s raging “cookie wars,” according to a statement released by the Crumbl and Dirty Dough cookie companies. The warring companies agreed to “terms of settlement” and gave themselves 30 days to work out the details.
There’s even wiggle room if final terms can’t be agreed upon within 30 days. “In the event Crumbl and Dirty Dough are unable to finalize the settlement for any reason, they will file a request to reset the case deadlines,” the release said.
According to the statement from the companies, they agree that an early owner of Dirty Dough, Bradley Maxwell, downloaded recipes and operational information when he was an employee of Crumbl, as Crumbl had alleged in its original lawsuit against Dirty Dough in July 2022. Crumbl also named competing cookie company Crave in that original suit, claiming Dirty Dough and Crave copied packaging, recipes and the overall reputation of the cookie company.
In later filings, Crumbl added claims that Dirty Dough stole trade secrets and copied its overall concept. Dirty Dough leaders denied the claims.
In May 2023, Crumbl asked a federal judge to order a halt to Dirty Dough’s franchising, which attorneys argued would essentially put the company out of business. The judge refused to order the injunction and Dirty Dough continued to expand.
Earlier this year, Crumble dismissed its claims against Crave, but pursued its battle against Dirty Dough until the recent announcement.
Although not all terms of the new settlement were disclosed, the statement explains Dirty Dough returned information and agreed to change certain cookie boxes “in order to eliminate any potential confusion for customers.”
“Crumbl and Dirty Dough are pleased that they have been able to work together to resolve this dispute and each remains dedicated to serving its customers with excellence,” the statement reads. “Crumbl and Dirty Dough wish each other success in their future endeavors.”