Donald J. Pliner’s footwear homecoming marred by lawsuit

By

Dani Greene

Published
Aug 16, 2016

DJP Holdings LLC, has filed a motion for a preliminary injunction to halt founder Donald J. Pliner from moving forward with his newest shoe collections. The collections, From the Mountains of Italy and From the Beaches of Spain, were released at the FFANY New York Shoe Expo this past weekend.

 
Pliner no longer designs for the namesake brand he founded in 1989, Donald J Pliner. According to media reports, on August 1, DJP filed a lawsuit accusing Donald J. Pliner and his wife Lisa of trademark infringement, breach of contract, false advertising, unfair competition and deceptive trade practices when the Pliners presented their latest shoe collection.
 
In response to the lawsuit, Pliner stated, “In an effort not to publicly harm the brand and the value of the company I founded and in which I hold a minority interest, I did not seek a public confrontation. Instead, I fully complied with my contract obligations after the one-year non-compete period. I just launched two new collections meant to present my vision, craftsmanship, and personalized attention to the public. The only explanation I have is that this must be a misguided attempt to prevent the launch of my new collections.”

Donald J. Pliner sold a controlling interest in the company he founded and its trademark to DJP Holdings, LLC in 2011. In 2015, Pliner ended his involvement as Creative Director for the brand and since then, has not been associated or affiliated with DJP Holdings, the owner of the trademark Donald J Pliner.
 
DJP is also accusing the Pliners of designing shoes that are very similar to shoes by the company Donald J Pliner. DJP’s preliminary injunction, filed yesterday, requests that the Pliners halt production on their shoe collection pending a decision for DJP’s lawsuit.