A lot of dough at stake: Woman wins NJ suit with ex-husband over bakery mixer trademark

NJ woman gets $570,000 from ex in dough-mixer suit

FAIRFIELD, N.J. — Twelve years after she got divorced, a New Jersey woman finally got what she wanted out of the break up: A dough mixer.

Not just any dough mixer, though. The Artofex triple-action mixer is 6 feet tall, weighs about 2 tons and is used by commercial bakers around the world.

Karin Seruga (sah-ROOG’-ah) has been embroiled in a lawsuit for several years with her ex-husband over the U.S. trademark to the machines, which were invented in Switzerland nearly 100 years ago.

Last month a federal judge ruled in favor of Seruga’s Fairfield-based company and awarded her $570,000 in damages.

Seruga claimed her ex-husband, Richard Zinn, continued to use the Artofex name in his bakery machine business even though she owned the trademark to it.

Zinn’s attorney says he will appeal.