Paul Newman Foundation Is Being Sued By His Daughters
Paul Newman's daughters, Kendall and Nell, are suing the leaders of Newman's foundation after reports state that the foundation is not following Paul's directives since he died.
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When American actor Paul Newman passed away in 2008 at the age of 83, the world lost a talented and skillful performer that brought joy to audiences for decades. A legend in his own time, Newman parlayed his success in film and television into a charitable spirit, creating a brand known as Newman’s Own, a food company dedicated to donating all profits to charity post-tax. With his acting career at an all-time high and his Newman’s Own brand hitting grocery shelves across the country, Paul Newman became known as one of the kindest men in Hollywood. Now, it appears that the foundation he built while he was still alive is being sued by his own daughters, and possibly for a good reason.
According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter, the Newman’s Own Foundation is currently embroiled in a lawsuit brought about by two of Paul Newman’s daughters. The case is in response to allegations that the leadership team at Newman’s Own is not following the directives laid out by Paul Newman before his death, specifically relating to the number of profits that should be donated to charity. Newman’s daughters, Susan Kendall Newman and Nell Newman allege that the foundation has iced them out of their involvement with the organization and that its leaders have taken steps to entirely oust them. A discussion in the lawsuit is the fact that the Newman’s Own Foundation has cut the amount of money in half that is typically designed to be used by the daughters for their own charitable giving.
Paul Newman started the Newman’s Own brand in 1982, which donates directly to the Newman’s Own Foundation, specifically for charity. Using Newman’s name and likeness on all of its products, the brand has been incredibly successful since its inception, mainly because Newman is still a highly regarded and recognizable actor. According to People, the brand began by selling salad dressing but morphed into a full-fledged opportunity to sell pasta sauce, salsa, pizza, and lemonade. Currently, there are over 300 products under the Newman’s Own label. CNN reports that the foundation associated with the brand has donated over $570 million to various charitable organizations since its inception.
Before he became known for his salad dressing and delectable treats, Paul Newman was an actor that appeared on the stage and screen. Married to longtime love Academy Award-winner Joanne Woodward, the two became a power couple in film and television. Before starring in one of his most prominent roles alongside Robert Redford in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Newman became a household name in movies like The Hustler, Hud, Cool Hand Luke, and Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Director Ethan Hawke currently has a docuseries chronicling Newman and Woodward’s marriage and life together entitled The Last Movie Stars, which debuted on HBO Max in July. Newman finally earned an Academy Award after ten nominations for his role as Fast Eddie Felson in Martin Scorsese’s The Color of Money in 1986, before passing away more than twenty years later.
