Coca-Cola Denies “Sound-Alike” Claim in Johnny Cash Estate Lawsuit

Coca-Cola denies Johnny Cash ‘sound-alike’ claim, disputes infringement in estate lawsuit

May 14, 2026 By Mandy Dalugdug

The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC) pushed back against a lawsuit filed by the estate of Johnny Cash, denying that a singer used in a college football-themed commercial infringed on the late country icon’s voice rights.

Cash’s estate filed the lawsuit in US District Court in Nashville in November 2025, alleging Coca-Cola hired a tribute singer to record vocals for a commercial that started airing in August 2025.

Coca-Cola filed its answer on May 8 ( read here ), denying that the ad infringed Cash’s voice and denying the existence of an “Infringing Ad.” However, the company acknowledged that the ad contained “a male singing voice” and that the company “caused the Advertisement to appear on television, some social media, and some online platforms.”

“TCCC admits that the Advertisement appeared on ABC , NBC , FOX , FS1 , BTN , TNT , ESPN , ESPN2 , TBS , and TRUTV . TCCC admits that the Advertisement first aired during the 2025 fall college football season.”

The company also confirmed that the ad included imagery from the University of Michigan, the University of Notre Dame, the University of Southern California, Louisiana State University, and The Ohio State University — schools with which it has or had commercial relationships.

However, Coca-Cola denied the estate’s core allegations. Lawyers for the beverage giant said: “TCCC admits that the singing voice included in the Advertisement is not the voice of Johnny Cash.”

The company rejected the estate’s claims that it used a “sound-alike singer” in the ad. “TCCC denies the allegations embedded in the defined term ‘Sound-Alike Singer.’ TCCC admits that the Singer appears to have a website that includes the quoted language.”

The lawsuit, which you can read here , invokes Tennessee’s ELVIS Act , enacted in March 2024, which protects likeness, voice and image rights. The law defines voice as “a sound in a medium that is readily identifiable and attributable to a particular individual, regardless of whether the sound contains the actual voice or a simulation.”

The estate also brought claims under the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act and the federal Lanham Act . Coca-Cola denied liability on all three counts.

> “The Trust failed to take reasonable action to minimize any damages allegedly sustained as a result of the facts alleged in the Complaint and is therefore barred from recovering any damages which might reasonably have been avoided.” Coca-Cola’s answer

In its response, Coca-Cola raised a number of grounds to dismiss all claims including that the trust “lacks standing to assert the rights underlying its claims,” that the trust’s claims “are barred in whole or in part by the First Amendment,” and that the state law claims “are barred, in whole or in part, because they are preempted by federal law.”

On damages, Coca-Cola argued that “The Trust failed to take reasonable action to minimize any damages allegedly sustained as a result of the facts alleged in the Complaint and is therefore barred from recovering any damages which might reasonably have been avoided.”

The estate had earlier accused the company of entering into endorsement agreements with entertainers, musicians, and athletes “to induce consumers to purchase its products.” Coca-Cola acknowledged having endorsements, but denied the estate’s claim that it uses these endorsements to induce customers to buy its products.

Music Business Worldwide

_Originally reported by [Music Business Worldwide](https://www.musicbusinessworldwide.com/coca-cola-denies-johnny-cash-sound-alike-claim-disputes-infringement-in-estate-lawsuit/)._