Nearly six months after Johnny Cash’s estate sued Coca-Cola for allegedly illegally micking the late country legend’s voice in a college football ad, the soft drink company is firing back.
Coca-Cola Asks Judge To Throw Out Cash Case
In an answer filed May 8 in federal court in Nashville, Coca-Cola denied the estate’s claims that it unlawfully exploited Cash’s voice by using a “sound-alike singer” in the ad.
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The nearly $350 billion company, headquartered in Atlanta, asked District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw, Jr. to dismiss the trust’s claims with prejudice and award Coca-Cola attorney fees.
[RELATED: 3 Johnny Cash Songs That Even People Who Don’t Like Country Will Enjoy]
Why Is Johnny Cash’s Estate Suing Coca-Cola?
The manager of Johnny Cash’s estate, the John R. Cash Revocable Trust, filed a federal lawsuit against Coca-Cola in November 2025 in Nashville.
The complaint cited a song in a commercial, which began airing in August during college football games. According to the lawsuit, the voice in the ad belongs to a professional Cash tribute performer named Shawn Barker. Barker’s voice sounds “remarkably” like the late Country Music Hall of Famer.
“Stealing the voice of an artist is theft. It is theft of his integrity, identity and humanity,” lawyer Tim Warnock of Loeb & Loeb wrote. “The trust brings this lawsuit to protect the voice of Johnny Cash — and to send a message that protects the voice of all of the artists whose music enriches our lives.”
Notably, this marks the first major case to come under Tennessee’s Ensuring Likeness Voice and Image Security Act (ELVIS) Act.
Signed in March 2024 by Tennessee Governor Bill Lee, the ELVIS Act is the nation’s first piece of legislation aimed at safeguarding the core elements of artistic identity, including voice and likeness, in the context of artificial intelligence (AI.)
However, Cash’s estate is not accusing Coca-Cola of using AI in the commercial.
Since Johnny Cash’s death in 2003, the “Ring of Fire” singer’s estate has only licensed his voice twice, both for Super Bowl ads. The lawsuit claims Coca-Cola “never even bothered to ask the trust for a license.”
Instead, the multinational corporation commissioned an advertising agency, which hired a Johnny Cash tribute singer to record the vocal track for the ad and deceive consumers into believing it was Cash’s actual voice.
The Cash trust is seeking a jury trial and compensatory damages likely to exceed $75,000.
Featured image by KMazur/WireImage