Latest news with #Montañez
Miami Herald
4 days ago
- Miami Herald
Federal judge dismisses lawsuit over Flamin' Hot Cheetos origin story
A federal judge this week dismissed a lawsuit filed by the man who says he invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Richard Montañez had sued Frito-Lay and its parent company PepsiCo last year, alleging they defamed him and hurt his career by denying his role in creating the popular snack. Federal Judge John W. Holcomb of the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles wrote in his Wednesday ruling that Montañez's accusations of fraud and defamation were insufficient or lacked "factual support." But the battle over the origin story of the spicy junk food will remain in play for now. Montañez will have the opportunity to amend his lawsuit because "he may be able to cure the deficiencies in his pleading by alleging additional facts," the judge wrote. Montañez will have until June 13 to submit an amended complaint. His lawsuit came in the aftermath of a 2021 Los Angeles Times investigation that questioned his rags-to-riches story that had long circulated the internet and captured the hearts of fans of the snack and immigrant communities. The story goes that Montañez was working as a janitor at Frito-Lay's Rancho Cucamonga plant when he dreamed up a version of the Cheeto that would appeal to the Latino community and had the gumption to pitch his idea to an executive. The Times article cited chronological inconsistencies in Montañez's story, archival proof of the release of test products and comments by Frito-Lay executives. According to Montañez's lawsuit, he grew up in a Southern California migrant labor camp sharing an 800-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment with his parents and 10 siblings. He got the janitor job in the mid-1970s, and a decade later he and his wife experimented in their kitchen to create the new snack. In his lawsuit, he explained that he met resistance working with the research and development team while creating a spicy seasoning for mass production. "Dissatisfied that Mr. Montañez - a poor, uneducated Mexican plant worker and janitor - had successfully developed a new product, Frito-Lay's R&D personnel completely shut out Mr. Montañez from the development process," the lawsuit said. Montañez climbed PepsiCo's ranks, becoming the company's vice president of multicultural marketing and sales before retiring in 2019. In his lawsuit, Montañez said that the companies had sent him touring the country delivering inspiring talks in elite academic and business settings, and that as a result PepsiCo had "reaped tremendous benefits by affirmatively holding (Montañez) out as the inventor of Flamin' Hot Cheetos." But Holcomb, the judge, wrote that Montañez could not argue that PepsiCo and Frito-Lay's profiting off the premise that he invented the snack was unjust since Montañez "mutually benefitted from Defendants' decades-long support." Montañez's attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment. (Los Angeles Times staff writer Sandra McDonald contributed to this report.) Copyright (C) 2025, Tribune Content Agency, LLC. Portions copyrighted by the respective providers.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Federal judge dismisses lawsuit over Flamin' Hot Cheetos origin story
A federal judge this week dismissed a lawsuit filed by the man who says he invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Richard Montañez had sued Frito-Lay and its parent company PepsiCo last year, alleging they defamed him and hurt his career by denying his role in creating the popular snack. Federal Judge John W. Holcomb of the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles wrote in his Wednesday ruling that Montañez's accusations of fraud and defamation were insufficient or lacked 'factual support.' But the battle over the origin story of the spicy junk food will remain in play for now. Montañez will have the opportunity to amend his lawsuit because 'he may be able to cure the deficiencies in his pleading by alleging additional facts," the judge wrote. Montañez will have until June 13 to submit an amended complaint. Read more: The man who didn't invent Flamin' Hot Cheetos His lawsuit came in the aftermath of a 2021 Los Angeles Times investigation that questioned his rags-to-riches story that had long circulated the internet and captured the hearts of fans of the snack and immigrant communities. The story goes that Montañez was working as a janitor at Frito-Lay's Rancho Cucamonga plant when he dreamed up a version of the Cheeto that would appeal to the Latino community and had the gumption to pitch his idea to an executive. The Times article cited chronological inconsistencies in Montañez's story, archival proof of the release of test products and comments by Frito-Lay executives. According to Montañez's lawsuit, he grew up in a Southern California migrant labor camp sharing an 800-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment with his parents and 10 siblings. He got the janitor job in the mid-1970s, and a decade later he and his wife experimented in their kitchen to create the new snack. Read more: He says he invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos. He didn't, said Frito-Lay. Now he's suing In his lawsuit, he explained that he met resistance working with the research and development team while creating a spicy seasoning for mass production. 'Dissatisfied that Mr. Montañez — a poor, uneducated Mexican plant worker and janitor — had successfully developed a new product, Frito-Lay's R&D personnel completely shut out Mr. Montañez from the development process,' the lawsuit said. Montañez climbed PepsiCo's ranks, becoming the company's vice president of multicultural marketing and sales before retiring in 2019. In his lawsuit, Montañez said that the companies had sent him touring the country delivering inspiring talks in elite academic and business settings, and that as a result PepsiCo had "reaped tremendous benefits by affirmatively holding [Montañez] out as the inventor of Flamin' Hot Cheetos." But Holcomb, the judge, wrote that Montañez could not argue that PepsiCo and Frito-Lay's profiting off the premise that he invented the snack was unjust since Montañez "mutually benefitted from Defendants' decades-long support." Montañez's attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Times staff writer Sandra McDonald contributed to this report. Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Los Angeles Times
4 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Federal judge dismisses lawsuit over Flamin' Hot Cheetos origin story
A federal judge this week dismissed a lawsuit filed by the man who says he invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos. Richard Montañez had sued Frito-Lay and its parent company PepsiCo last year, alleging they defamed him and hurt his career by denying his role in creating the popular snack. Federal Judge John W. Holcomb of the U.S. District Court in Los Angeles wrote in his Wednesday ruling that Montañez's accusations of fraud and defamation were insufficient or lacked 'factual support.' But the battle over the origin story of the spicy junk food will remain in play for now. Montañez will have the opportunity to amend his lawsuit because 'he may be able to cure the deficiencies in his pleading by alleging additional facts,' the judge wrote. Montañez will have until June 13 to submit an amended complaint. His lawsuit came in the aftermath of a 2021 Los Angeles Times investigation that questioned his rags-to-riches story that had long circulated the internet and captured the hearts of fans of the snack and immigrant communities. The story goes that Montañez was working as a janitor at Frito-Lay's Rancho Cucamonga plant when he dreamed up a version of the Cheeto that would appeal to the Latino community and had the gumption to pitch his idea to an executive. The Times article cited chronological inconsistencies in Montañez's story, archival proof of the release of test products and comments by Frito-Lay executives. According to Montañez's lawsuit, he grew up in a Southern California migrant labor camp sharing an 800-square-foot, one-bedroom apartment with his parents and 10 siblings. He got the janitor job in the mid-1970s, and a decade later he and his wife experimented in their kitchen to create the new snack. In his lawsuit, he explained that he met resistance working with the research and development team while creating a spicy seasoning for mass production. 'Dissatisfied that Mr. Montañez — a poor, uneducated Mexican plant worker and janitor — had successfully developed a new product, Frito-Lay's R&D personnel completely shut out Mr. Montañez from the development process,' the lawsuit said. Montañez climbed PepsiCo's ranks, becoming the company's vice president of multicultural marketing and sales before retiring in 2019. In his lawsuit, Montañez said that the companies had sent him touring the country delivering inspiring talks in elite academic and business settings, and that as a result PepsiCo had 'reaped tremendous benefits by affirmatively holding [Montañez] out as the inventor of Flamin' Hot Cheetos.' But Holcomb, the judge, wrote that Montañez could not argue that PepsiCo and Frito-Lay's profiting off the premise that he invented the snack was unjust since Montañez 'mutually benefitted from Defendants' decades-long support.' Montañez's attorneys did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Times staff writer Sandra McDonald contributed to this report.
Washington Post
5 days ago
- Business
- Washington Post
Judge dismisses suit of ex-janitor who says he invented Flamin' Hot Cheetos
For years, the purported origin story of Flamin' Hot Cheetos flourished through the internet and beyond as a spicy retelling of the American Dream, with self-proclaimed inventor of the snack Richard Montañez recounting how he came up with the idea while working as janitor for Frito-Lay. But a Los Angeles Times investigation in 2021 threw a wrench into the rags-to-riches tale, with Frito-Lay disputing Montañez's claim and telling the newspaper that 'the facts do not support the urban legend.'
Boston Globe
24-03-2025
- Politics
- Boston Globe
Trump administration investigating Providence schools over ‘educator of color' loan forgiveness program
Get Rhode Map A weekday briefing from veteran Rhode Island reporters, focused on the things that matter most in the Ocean State. Enter Email Sign Up The investigation comes as the Trump administration has been cracking down on diversity, equity and inclusion programs, accusing both K-12 and higher education institutions of discrimination because of using racial preferences in their hiring practices or in access to educational opportunities. Advertisement The US Department of Education has accused The website for the Providence program, entitled the The Providence school system has long been criticized for its lopsided racial makeup; roughly 73 percent of teachers are white, compared to just 8 percent of the district's students, according to the most recent R.I. Department of Education data. The vast majority of Providence students are Hispanic, at 68 percent, followed by 14 percent Black. One of the goals of the state takeover of the city schools, which began in 2019, was to Advertisement The Rhode Island Foundation touted the importance of that goal when the program launched. 'The benefits of a diverse faculty are well documented,' Neil Steinberg, the former head of the nonprofit, said in a news release in 2021. 'Students can be inspired in new ways when their classrooms include role models who look like them.' The letter from the DOJ says the federal government has not reached any conclusions yet, but is investigating whether or not the district is 'engaged in a pattern or practice of discrimination.' Hector Ruiz Jr., the DOJ employment attorney investigating the case, declined to comment, referring the Globe to the media relations team, which did not immediately respond. In a letter to the Providence School Board on Sunday notifying them of the investigation, Superintendent Javier Montañez said the student loan program has a 'direct, positive impact on student outcomes as demonstrated by years of educational research.' 'The diversity of our community is a tremendous asset, and we deeply value and support the variety of cultures and identities of our students as well as our staff members,' Montañez said. He pointed to He said the school district is an 'equal educational employer and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, age, sex, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, color, disability, or veteran status.' The district's lawyers will cooperate with the DOJ on the investigation, Montañez said. Advertisement Suzanne Ouellette, a spokesperson for the district, said, 'We remain committed in our efforts to recruit and retain a teaching population that reflects the diverse community we serve.' She declined to comment further, citing the ongoing legal matter. Steph Machado can be reached at
