The self-proclaimed descendants of "Aunt Jemima" are suing Quaker Oats for $2 billion, claiming that the syrup icon's image was appropriated and her recipe was shared without receiving any form of compensation. According to the Consumerist, the two great-grandsons of Anna Short Harrington - who they claim was recruited in 1935 to represent the brand - recently filed a federal suit in Chicago.

If what her great-grandsons said is true, Harrington was responsible for refining the recipe for the first-ever self-rising pancake mix along with a woman named Nancy Green. According to TIME, the lawsuit's plaintiffs argue that an agreement existed to share a percentage of revenue each time the likeness of their "relative" was used to market the pancake mix, and that they are owed $2 billion in compensation along with a share of future revenue.

One of Harrington's great-grandsons even went so far as to say, "Aunt Jemima has become known as one of the most exploited and abused women in American history," further conveying the impact of mistreating the syrup icon.

However, Quaker Oats denies that any such contract existed or that the iconic Aunt Jemima figurehead resembled an actual person. A statement reads, "The image symbolizes a sense of caring, warmth, hospitality and comfort and is neither based on, nor meant to depict any one person...While we cannot discuss the details of pending litigation, we do not believe there is any merit to this lawsuit."

Quaker Oats, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, adds that it has not been able to find any contract linking Mrs. Harrington to the Aunt Jemima image. PepsiCo lawyer Dean Panos stated, "PepsiCo and Quaker are actively searching for contracts that would pertain to Ms. Anna S. Harrington, which if they exist go back 60 years or even longer. We thus far have not located these documents in the places that have been searched," conveying their fruitless search.

A lawyer familiar with trademarks recently told USA Today that the case might not even be able to be resolved. He stated, "This happened so long ago and continued for so long with nobody doing anything about it...if a person doesn't take action within an applicable period of time, their claim goes away."