Stuffed-Crust Pizza Lawsuit: A pizza-making family is...

Stuffed-Crust Pizza Lawsuit: A pizza-making family is suing Pizza Hut for $1 billion for allegedly stealing its patented idea for stuffed-crust pizza. The Mongiello family filed suit in New York’s Brooklyn Federal Court, charging infringement of their 1987 patent. Attorney Paul Sutton said the Mongiellos offered Pizza Hut a license to produce stuffed-crust pizzas--which feature cheese and other foods within the crust--in 1988 and 1991 but Pizza Hut “displayed no interest.” Pizza Hut spokesman Rob Dowdy said the company is certain infringement did not occur. “We will oppose this claim vigorously,” he said. The new stuffed-crust pizza has proved a big success at Pizza Hut. Since the chain began selling the cheesy concoction in March, its sales at stores open at least a year rose 22% in the second quarter and were up 6% in the third quarter while pizza sales industrywide have increased only slightly.