Andy Griffith Sues Man Who Changed His Name to Andy Griffith

By Linda Orlando

Andy Griffith, the actor who portrayed the sheriff of the fictional TV town of Mayberry, NC, is upset with a Wisconsin resident who now goes by the same name. So he’s suing the man to make him give the name back.

William Harold Fenrick, 42, changed his name in May to Andrew Jackson Griffith, because he was running for sheriff of Grant County in southwestern Wisconsin. Fenrick, co-owner of the Platteville music store, said he spent about $5,000 on his campaign and changed his name to garner publicity for his candidacy. The name change didn’t really help him any, though. The incumbent Republican sheriff, Keith Govier, has held the post for 10 years and he was re-elected with 8,452 votes. His Democratic challenger Doug Vesperman got 6.985 votes, and Griffith, an independent candidate, got only 1,248 votes.

Even though changing his name didn’t garner anything for Fenrick, the actor Andy Griffith filed suit in U.S. District Court in Madison, alleging that Fenrick violated trademark and copyright laws as well as the privacy of Andy Samuel Griffith by using his new name to promote his candidacy. The lawsuit says that Fenrick changed his name for the "sole purpose of taking advantage of Griffith's notoriety in an attempt to gain votes" and petitions the court to order Fenrick to go back to his original name.

Fenrick says that he didn’t benefit in any way from the name change, which is made clear by the fact that he lost. "During this campaign I never sold or profited even one nickel from the use of the name Andy Griffith or any item bearing the name Andy Griffith—everything was a promotional item, and everything was given away for free," he said. Fenrick described the suit as "incredibly absurd" and said he doesn’t think the public is "so brain dead" that they might actually believe that he is the famous actor.

Griffith’s lawsuit demands that Fenrick publish disclaimers as well as an apology in newspapers in Grant County explaining that he has no association with the actor. The suit also seeks court fees and unspecified damages. Griffith’s lawyer, Jim Cole, told reporters that since the election is now over, "if Fenrick is willing in some fashion to clear the record, we probably could find a way to resolve it."

Griffith, 80, starred in "The Andy Griffith Show" in the 1960s, a television time capsule of gentility and neighborliness that remains one of the most popular series in the history of TV. Now retired, Griffith lives in Manteo, NC, and owns his own production company. He is recovering from recent hip replacement surgery.

Cole said that Griffith seems to be in good spirits since his surgery. "It’s not something personal; it’s the matter of the requirement under the trademark law. If you don’t police it, you lose it."

Fenrick, who has about three weeks to respond to the lawsuit, is still amazed. "There’s no sense of humor. I can’t believe how cheap and petty these people are. Do they seriously, seriously think anyone would mistake me? For such an American icon, it’s a pretty un-American thing to do to me."