Sporting personalities and celebrity icons including Cristiano Ronaldo, Tyson Fury and Molly-Mae Hague have been dragged into a legal battle involving one of their favourite Italian restaurants. These high-profile names appear in court papers lodged at the High Court by dining hotspot Cibo in a bid to stop a rival trading under its name. Other big names mentioned include Will.I.Am, Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United greats Ryan Giggs, Patrice Evra and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Liverpool stars Mohammed Salah, Alison Becker and Darwin Nunez. They are all regulars at Cibo Hale and Cibo Wilmslow which raked in £4.25million last year.
According a report in British tabloid The Sun, furious bosses are locked in a bitter feud with three other nearby restaurants who they accused of using its name without consent. They are suing Cibo Manchester, Cibo Liverpool Road, and Cibo Great Northern, along with four of its directors, over claims they have been trading off its celebrity credentials and reputation. In a highly unusual move the bosses of Cibo named some of their celebrity clients in court papers submitted to the High Court and obtained by the Sun on Sunday.
They read: "The Claimants’ exceptional level of service, stylish décor and reputation has helped to attract high profile and celebrity customers to their restaurant. The Claimants’ customers include a range of high profile individuals and celebrities from across the UK, many of whom are known worldwide." But they claim their reputation is being damaged by the use of their name at eateries just 11 miles away.
