A trial date has been set regarding a lawsuit surrounding Universal Orlando and its Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen. What is the lawsuit about, though? Well, it turns out that Adam Limle, a resident of Ohio, sued Universal Orlando because he claims the “company’s restaurant and dessert attraction was his idea.” On the other side of the aisle, however, Universal is accusing “Limle of trying to claim general ideas and a mixture of known ingredients as trade secrets.”The decision to move forward with a trial came after attorneys for both Universal and Limle admitted that neither party is interested in “talking anymore in a mediation session.” In fact, David Oliver, the attorney for Limle, said: “Seasoned counsel on both sides of this dispute realistically appreciate that settlement is not an option in this case.” At the moment, the trial is scheduled to begin June 30, 2018, and isn't expected to take longer than three weeks.The lawsuit itself was filed back in August of 2016 before the “Emporium opened on Universal Orlando's City Walk promenade” and seeks a combined minimum of $40 million from Universal Orlando and NBCUniversal.So why did Limle file the lawsuit in the first place? Well, back in 2014 he “registered a trademark for The Chocolate Factory." Three months before Universal’s Chocolate Emporium opened, it changed the “name of its project to use the word Emporium instead of Factory.” Despite the name change, Limle claims Universal “ripped off his idea after he showed them sketches and themes based on an idea his daughter had.”

Universal Orlando Logo; Image Courtesy of aliciastella.com

While Universal hasn't “denied meeting with Limle,” when it asked “Limle who he met with and when” Limle was and still has been unable to supply an answer.It's important to point out, however, that even though a judge has allowed the case to proceed and scheduled a trial date, “not everything is going Limle's way.” In fact, not long ago the judge hearing the case “sanctioned Limle and his attorneys for failing to provide detailed answers to Universal’s requests, and warned that more sanctions could come.” But what kind of detailed answers has Limle failed to supply? For starters, he allegedly “has documents and correspondence with Universal but he can no longer provide dates or other details because emails and other correspondence were kept on a computer that was accidentally destroyed in 2012.”On the flip side, Universal is pushing back against Limle, arguing that “chocolate or confection-themed restaurants, in-house working chocolate factories, and retail stores are known elements and not trade secrets.”

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