HOUSTON -- A federal trial got under way Monday in a lawsuit accusing Amway distributors of reviving false rumors linking rival Procter & Gamble with satanic cults.
The lawsuit is one of many that consumer products giant Procter & Gamble brought after rumors began circulating in 1981 that the company's logo -- a bearded man on the moon and stars -- was a symbol of satanism.The company alleges Amway distributors, including several from the Houston area, revived the rumors in 1995, using a voice mail system to tell thousands of customers that part of Procter & Gamble's profits were directed to satanic cults.
"It's a malicious lie that erodes the trust of customers and has cost us millions of dollars in sales," said Elaine Plummer, a spokeswoman for Procter & Gamble, which makes such products as Ivory soap, Tide detergent and Crest toothpaste.
Amway Corp., based in Ada, Mich., denies the allegations.
"This rumor was started in churches . . . and Amway didn't have a thing to do with it," defense attorney Charles Babcock said. "A few Amway independent distributors talked about the rumor -- not in a mean-spirited way but in an informational way."
In March, a Utah federal judge dismissed a similar lawsuit against Amway, ruling the rumors were not defamatory and that Procter & Gamble hadn't made a case for specific damages.
The Houston trial is expected to last two weeks.