Coca-Cola Sued by Johnny Cash Estate

By Robert Alexander

Senior Crime & Court Reporter

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The estate of Johnny Cash has filed a federal lawsuit against the Coca-Cola Company, alleging that the beverage maker used an unauthorized imitation of the late singer’s voice in a national advertising campaign for the 2025 NCAA college football season.

The November 25 complaint, filed in the Middle District of Tennessee, accuses Coca-Cola of violating the state’s recently enacted Ensuring Likeness, Voice, and Image Security (ELVIS) Act, as well as federal false-endorsement laws and state consumer-protection statutes.

Newsweek contacted the estate of Johnny Cash and Coca-Cola via email outside of normal business hours on Thursday for comment.

Why It Matters

The lawsuit matters because it tests the boundaries of Tennessee’s new ELVIS Act—one of the first laws in the nation to explicitly protect both real and simulated voices—and could reshape how advertisers, technology companies, and entertainment estates handle voice rights.

By accusing Coca-Cola of using a Johnny Cash soundalike without permission, the case challenges long-standing industry practices and raises broader questions about ownership and imitation in an era of AI-driven voice replication.

The outcome could set an influential precedent for how vocal identity is controlled, licensed, and protected in commercial media.

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What To Know

Born on February 26, 1932, Johnny Cash was one of America’s most loved and revered singer-songwriters, whose deep bass-baritone voice and blend of country, rock, folk, and gospel made him one of the most influential and bestselling artists of the 20th century; he died on September 12, 2003, and his interests are now protected by the John R. Cash Revocable Trust.

The current dispute centers on a commercial titled “Go the Distance,” part of Coca-Cola’s “Fan Work Is Thirsty Work” campaign.

According to the lawsuit, Coca-Cola hired a Johnny Cash tribute singer—Shawn Barker—to recreate a vocal performance “readily identifiable and attributable” to Cash, despite not seeking permission from the estate.

How Coca-Cola Used the Alleged Soundalike

The filing, John R. Cash Revocable Trust vs. The Coca-Cola Company states that the voice in the advertisement was crafted to sound “remarkably like” Cash’s signature bass-baritone.

In the complaint, the estate’s attorney, Tim Warnock of Loeb & Loeb, wrote, “Stealing the voice of an artist is theft. It is theft of his integrity, identity, and humanity.”

The lawsuit further argues that Coca-Cola “never even bothered to ask the trust for a license,” even though the company “knows that it needs a license to exploit…the voice of artists and musicians.”

Screenshots included in the filing show consumers responding with confusion to the tribute singer’s social media posts about the commercial, with some viewers stating they believed the ad contained an unreleased Johnny Cash recording.

One commenter noted they rewound the commercial because they were “perplexed that there was a Johnny Cash song I hadn’t heard before.”

Why the ELVIS Act Makes This Case Different

The estate’s challenge comes at a pivotal time for voice-rights law in Tennessee.

The ELVIS Act—signed into law in March 2024 and effective as of July 1 that year—significantly expands the state’s right of publicity statute.

According to an analysis by Latham & Watkins, the law broadens protections by explicitly covering “a sound in a medium that is readily identifiable and attributable to a particular individual, regardless of whether the sound contains the actual voice or a simulation.”

It also introduces new forms of liability for those who “publish, perform, distribute, [or] transmit” an unauthorized voice, including simulations.

Described as “first-of-its-kind legislation,” the ELVIS Act positions Tennessee at the forefront of addressing unauthorized soundalikes and AI-generated voice replicas, potentially exposing companies to risk even when using human imitators rather than digital tools.

The Latham & Watkins report notes that the law “may extend [liability] not only to digitally generated recordings…but also to humans who can imitate other artists.”

A Potential Landmark Case for Voice Rights

The lawsuit seeks compensatory damages exceeding $75,000, punitive damages, and a court order to halt further use of the advertisement.

Coca-Cola has not yet publicly responded to the allegations.

The case is drawing close industry attention because it may become the first major legal test of the ELVIS Act’s scope.

As the Latham & Watkins analysis concludes, the legislation arrives amid “regulatory action targeting AI-generated deepfakes and soundalikes,” signaling heightened scrutiny of vocal impersonation across media sectors.

What People Are Saying

Tim Warnock, attorney for the Johnny Cash estate, in the federal complaint says: “Stealing the voice of an artist is theft. It is theft of his integrity, identity, and humanity.”

John R. Cash Revocable Trust argues: “This case arises from Coca-Cola’s pirating Johnny Cash’s voice in a nationwide advertising campaign to enrich itself—without asking for permission or providing any compensation.”

What Happens Next

Coca-Cola must now formally respond to the lawsuit—either by answering the allegations or seeking dismissal—after which the court will decide whether the Cash estate’s claims under the ELVIS Act and other laws can move forward.

Settlement discussions are likely, but if no agreement is reached, the case could advance to summary judgment and potentially a jury trial.

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