The Battle of Supreme™ vs. Married to the Mob is Over, and This Is Why

Our long and protracted national nightmare is finally, mercifully over.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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In the battle of the monolithic streetwear brand and the scrappy upstarts who took them on, who did you think was going to win? 

After a lawsuit filed by James Jebbia and Supreme against Leah McSweeney and her Married to the Mob brand for copyright infringement of Supreme with McSweeney's Supreme Bitch design—and McSweeney's counter-suit alleging that the power of unchecked capitalism was used to block free speech—last week, we learned that the lawsuits were dropped

And now we know why: Jebbia and the White Futura Empire of Supreme forced McSweeney to tap out by way of legal settlementFrom what we hear, the lawsuits were dropped after an out-of-court settlement was reached between the two parties.

"Under the terms of the agreement, [McSweeney and MTTM] are still allowed to use the words 'Supreme Bitch,' but not in the way Barbara Kruger does," explained a source familiar with the situation. That may help explain this, McSweeney's new take on her old words:

Our source tells us that part of the reason behind the settlement was that the legal costs were adding up for McSweeney, who—even with the help of constitutional powerhouse lawyer Norman Siegel—wasn't going to be able to afford the costs associated with a legal defense while also having to sustain her own small business.

"Unlike Supreme, Leah doesn't have a huge team and deep pockets to take on a case like this. Norman Siegel's rates were reasonable," noted our source. "The costs of taking things all the way weren't."

Are both parties appeased? And did McSweeney have to pay anything in the damages she owed Supreme as alleged by Jebbia and Co. in their lawsuit? And have either of them come to any philosophical reckoning about the way artist Barbara Kruger—whose designs both the Supreme and original MTTM 'Supreme Bitch' logo are based on—called both parties "a ridiculous clusterfuck of uncool jokers"?

McSweeney declined to comment on whether or not there was a settlement, or the nature of the settlement, though she did explain over email: "The highlight of this entire CLUSTERFUCK was most definitely Barabra Krugers' quote." 

James Jebbia has not responded to repeated requests for comment.

RELATED: 50 Things You Didn't Know About Supreme
RELATED: Supreme™ Court: The 12 Greatest Moments of Supreme's Legal Battle With Leah McSweeney
RELATED: Supreme™ Court: 15 Reasons Why Supreme Is Suing Married to the Mob


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