The John R. Cash Revocable Trust sued The Coca-Cola Company in federal court in Tennessee on November 25, 2025, alleging that a Coca-Cola college-football ad used a tribute singer whose voice was recognizable as Johnny Cash’s without permission. Coca-Cola denies that the singing voice was Cash’s and denies infringement. The case remains unresolved in the available records; a docket mirror last retrieved May 20, 2026, lists a December 7, 2027 trial date.
What the lawsuit alleges
The complaint says Coca-Cola used a performance in an advertising campaign that evoked Cash’s voice and could lead viewers to believe he or his Trust endorsed the company. It alleges the use was unauthorized. These are the Trust’s claims, not findings by a court.
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Loeb & Loeb, which represents the Trust, identifies the campaign as “Fan Work is Thirsty Work,” says it began airing in August 2025, and names Shawn Barker, a professional Johnny Cash impersonator, as the singer. The complaint described the campaign as continuing to air when filed on November 25, 2025; that does not establish whether it was still running in October 2026. The firm’s description is available in its case announcement.
What claims does the Trust bring?
The complaint pleads three counts: violation of Tennessee’s ELVIS Act, violation of the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act, and false endorsement under Section 43(a) of the federal Lanham Act. It asks for damages, profits it attributes to the alleged use, punitive or enhanced damages under the pleaded statutes, and an injunction. The requested relief is not an award, and the available sources report no decision on the merits.
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The complaint cites the ELVIS Act as Tennessee Code Annotated § 47-25-1101 et seq. A May 2026 account of Coca-Cola’s answer describes the law as protecting rights involving likeness, voice, and image, and quotes “voice” as a sound readily identifiable and attributable to a person, whether it is the person’s actual voice or a simulation. Whether the performance at issue meets that description, and whether the Trust holds the rights it asserts, remain disputed. See the reporting on the answer at Music Business Worldwide.
What Coca-Cola says
Music Business Worldwide reported that Coca-Cola filed its answer on May 8, 2026. According to that report, the company denied that the singing voice was Cash’s and denied infringement. It acknowledged that the ad had a male singing voice and that it caused the ad to appear on television, social media, and online platforms. Coca-Cola reportedly said the ad first aired during the 2025 college-football season and disputed the Trust’s characterization of the performer as a “sound-alike singer.”
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The same report says Coca-Cola raised defenses including lack of standing, First Amendment protection, and preemption of state-law claims. Those are the company’s arguments; the available material does not show that a judge accepted them.
Does the ELVIS Act question have an answer yet?
No ruling in the available sources resolves whether this kind of human tribute performance violates the ELVIS Act. The dispute turns in part on whether the sound is legally attributable to Cash and whether the Trust can enforce the rights it claims. The complaint’s allegations and Coca-Cola’s denials describe opposing positions, not a settled interpretation of the statute.
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Where the case stood in the available docket
A Justia docket mirror records Coca-Cola’s answer filed May 8, 2026, and a jury trial scheduled for December 7, 2027. It also lists discovery due March 31, 2027, amended pleadings due July 3, 2026, and dispositive motions due July 12, 2027. The mirror says its docket report was last retrieved May 20, 2026, so those entries do not verify later filings or schedule changes. The case is *John R. Cash Revocable Trust v. The Coca-Cola Company*, No. 3:25-cv-01373, in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why the voice and endorsement disputes matter
The Trust’s theory links two questions: whether the ad’s performance was identifiable as Cash’s voice and whether its use could imply that Cash or his Trust endorsed Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola disputes the first characterization and denies infringement. The legal and factual merits have not been decided in the materials available.
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Tim Warnock, a lawyer for the Trust, told The Guardian: “Stealing the voice of an artist is theft. It is theft of his integrity, identity and humanity.” That is the plaintiff’s counsel’s advocacy, not a judicial finding. The Guardian’s report also describes the Trust’s pursuit of an injunction and damages.
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