Update: Trek settles with family of late Chris Farley

Trek Bicycles and the family of late-Comedian Chris Farley appear to have settled their disagreement over the company’s Farley line of fat bikes out of court, just days after a California judge moved the lawsuit filed by Make Him Smile to Madison, Wisc.

The two sides reportedly settled the lawsuit out of court on Wednesday, reports The New York Times. The lawsuit filed in California last September by Make Him Smile, a company set up by the family to protect the publicity and property rights of Chris Farley after his death, alleged Trek knowingly traded on Farley’s “fat guy” brand of comedy to market their Farley line of fat bikes without providing any compensation for doing so.

Make Him Smile claimed in the original lawsuit that damages could exceed $10 million. The settlement announcement did not disclose any details of the agreement and neither side has responded to requests for comment, according to The New York Times.

It is not immediately clear whether the move from California to Wisconsin was related to the timing of Trek and Make Him Smile deciding to settle. Much of Trek’s argument against the lawsuit revolved around contesting Farley’s status as a resident of California at the time of his death, with the company saying he resided in Chicago when he passed away in 1997, Bicycle Retailer and Industry News reported. Numerous California laws cited in Make Him Smile’s original suit either do not exist, or did not exist in Illinois at the time of Farley’s death.

A California judge agreed with Trek’s request to move the lawsuit to Wisconsin as the majority of the witnesses named still reside in, or near Madison Wisc., Madison State Journal reported, which is near Waterloo, Wisc. where Trek Bicycles is based. Chris Farley was born and raised in Madison, Wisc.

Make Him Smile’s lawsuit alleged that Farley “carefully guarded and policed his brand,” and had “spent his entire career building, then capitalizing on his unique brand of ‘fat guy’ humour and acting style.”

Farley’s physical humor playing off his physique carried him onto the set of Saturday Night Live, where he was a star cast member. Farley also appeared in several hit, and cult classic movies including Tommy Boy, Black Sheep, Beverly Hills Ninja, and Coneheads.

Or maybe Black Sheep?