Names and faces
Actor George Clooney’s “perfect” tequila — so smooth it doesn’t burn the throat, require lime and salt or, apparently, induce a hangover — was meant to be consumed only by the actor and his friends. It was never meant to become a brand or a company, just a private treat, after they developed it over two years with a distiller in Mexico. But on Wednesday, spirits giant Diageo bought Casamigos for up to $1 billion, four years after Clooney and his two friends, Rande Gerber and Mike Meldman, decided to put their tequila on the market. Calling it “the fastest growing super-premium tequila brand in the U.S.,” Diageo said in a news release that the transaction went for an initial $700 million with another $300 million over 10 years if sales go well. “If you asked us four years ago if we had a billion-dollar company, I don’t think we would have said yes,” Clooney said in a statement to reporters. “This reflects Diageo’s belief in our company and our belief in Diageo.” In 2016, the company sold 120,000 cases of Casamigos, and the brand is expected to exceed 170,000 cases by the end of 2017, according to London-based Diageo, whose other brands include Johnnie Walker, Guinness and Captain Morgan.
Coal company Murray Energy has sued HBO and its Sunday-night host, John Oliver, for what it says was a “false and malicious broadcast” Sunday evening. It’s seeking financial damages and a court order barring rebroadcasts of the segment’s “defamatory statements.” Oliver’s Last Week Tonight coal segment criticized the Trump administration’s effort to revive the industry, saying coal jobs have dropped for decades and other energy alternatives are driving the industry’s decline. Oliver also ribbed Murray Energy’s CEO, Robert Murray, saying the 77-year-old looked like a “geriatric Dr. Evil” and noted that the company had fought against coal safety regulations. On Wednesday, the Ohio company filed suit in circuit court in West Virginia, saying that Oliver tried to embarrass Murray by making fun of his age and appearance and made false statements about a 2007 collapse of a Utah mine, when nine miners died. The company said Oliver ignored information that it sent the show that it says showed an earthquake caused the mine’s collapse. An HBO spokesman denied allegations made in the suit.