Tahitian Noni, XanGo settle dispute over juice
A three-year legal dispute over intellectual property rights to XanGo's flagship mangosteen juice supplement has been settled. Details weren't available as the settlement agreement reached Thursday between Tahitian Noni International Inc. of Provo and XanGo LLC of Lehi was confidential, and all court documents concerning the dispute are sealed.
Tahitian Noni sued XanGo and several of its top executives in February 2003 in 4th District Court in Provo, alleging the executives stole Tahitian Noni's concept for a mangosteen-based supplement while they were employed by the Provo company's parent, Morinda Co.
The lawsuit also claimed Morinda has exclusive intellectual property rights to XanGo's juice supplement and sought a constructive trust be imposed on all of XanGo's assets, business opportunities, benefits and profits.
But XanGo disputed Tahitian Noni's allegations in a countersuit. Aaron Garrity, XanGo's president and chief operating officer, in a previous interview with the Daily Herald said the idea for the business took root when Joe Morton, one of XanGo's founders, stumbled on the mangosteen fruit at a restaurant in Malaysia and found numerous scientific reports that supported the health benefits of the tropical fruit.
