Delta Zeta sorority drops lawsuit
against Fairfield property owners

Delta Zeta sorority drops lawsuit against Fairfield property owners

By ANDY HALLMAN
Ledger news editor
 

Delta Zeta sorority has dropped the lawsuit it filed against a house in Fairfield that it alleged was falsely advertising itself as a Delta Zeta chapter.

Frederick and Oksana Shaddock own a house at 806 N. Fourth St. west of Maharishi University of Management that they call "Delta Nu Zeta."  In September, the national Delta Zeta sorority sought a court order to bar the landlords from using its trademark materials.

In an email received by The Ledger Tuesday, Frederick Shaddock wrote that the sorority dropped the lawsuit Friday.  He said he did not make any deals with Delta Zeta in or out of court to drop the lawsuit.

"Delta Zeta management simply came to their senses that there was no case, and gave it up," he said.  "They could have simply asked for the name to be changed if they did not want a chapter in Fairfield.  I hope they realize our tenants were only trying to re-establish a chapter and its tradition."

Shaddock said the "Delta Zeta" moniker he applies to the house is simply done to honor the Delta Zeta chapter affiliated with Parsons College (which went bankrupt in 1973 before Maharishi bought the campus).  He said he does not tell

renters of the home that they are joining the national Delta Zeta organization.

Before 2006, a family lived in the home.  When Shaddock bought the home that year, he began calling it the "Delta Zeta House."  In 2012 the national sorority contacted Shaddock about what it perceived was a trademark violation.  At that time, Shaddock changed the name of the house to "Delta Nu Zeta."

Shaddock said the house has five bedrooms and houses three or four women usually students at M.U.M.  Shaddock said the renters to not have to be students at M.U.M.  He said there was interest at one time in joining the national Delta Zeta organizations but the tenants decided not to do that.  (due to the fees)

Brian Downey, attorney for Delta Zeta, wrote in an email today that the sorority dropped the lawsuit against Shaddock after he stopped using Delta Zeta Internet domain names and renamed the house in Fairfield.

"At this point, from what we can tell, he has ceased using the Delta Zeta mark, which was always our goal," Downey wrote.  "We are carefully monitoring the situation and should the infringing activities recommence, Delta Zeta will, once again, take action to protect its valuable marks."