Link Snacks, maker of Jack Link’s Beef Jerky, is a family-run business that Jack Link had planned to leave to his two sons, Jay and Troy, according to the St. Paul Pioneer Press. A family disagreement led to Jay being ousted from the business after a four-year legal battle. In 2007, Jay started a joint venture with Jerky Snack Brands and became CEO of the company. One of his first moves was to move the company’s headquarters across the street from Link Snacks’ Minong, Wis., headquarters.
The lawsuit against Jay Link alleges that he misused his position to “further a long-standing and vindictive campaign against his father ... (and) brother ... and Link Snacks Inc.” It lists a series of poor decisions that helped Jerky Snack Brands lose $25 million in less than two years, including buying an oversupply of jerky from Brazil, overpaying to acquire a small competitor and billing the company for legal services unrelated to the company.