A Kentucky beverage maker is protesting a $250,000 bill that “Duck Dynasty” stars charged for appearance fees, arguing that Si Robertson (aka “Uncle Si”) was a no-show when it came to promoting an ice tea drink named after him, the Wall Street Journal BankruptcyBeat blog reported yesterday. In recently filed court papers, lawyers for the bankrupt maker of Uncle Si’s Iced Tea asked a federal judge to cancel the bill from Duck Commander Inc., the Robertson clan’s duck-call business in Louisiana that’s profiled in the hit A&E reality TV show. The beverage maker, Chinook USA LLC, has argued in a lawsuit that the Robertson family broke a contract that called for them to promote Chinook’s ice tea drink inspired by Uncle Si, who drinks from a bottomless cup of ice tea on the show. That contract violation should enable Chinook to avoid paying the appearance bill, along with a $500,000 request for royalties, according to documents filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Louisville, Ky. Under the five-year contract, the beverage maker agreed to pay a minimum of $1 million to the Robertsons’ business every year.
