Ice cream manufacturer Rebel Creamery has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in Utah, United States. The company was ordered by the court to pay $23.785 million in a packaging dispute with competitor Van Leeuwen.
Rebel ice cream is currently sold in Walmart, Kroger, Safeway, and other grocery stores across the United States.
According to Fox News, court records show that Rebel Creamery filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Utah bankruptcy court on August 14th.
In the bankruptcy application, Rebel listed assets and liabilities between $10 million and $50 million, and stated that there would be available funds for distribution to unsecured creditors. The filing listed Austin Archibald as the company’s manager and Michael Johnson of the law firm Ray Quinney & Nebeker as the bankruptcy legal advisor.
Van Leeuwen is listed as one of Rebel’s unsecured creditors, with a debt amount of $23.785 million from the previous court judgment. Rebel has categorized this debt as “disputed” and indicated that the judgment is currently under appeal.
Less than a month ago, Judge Eric Komitee ruled that Rebel had intentionally copied the packaging of New York ice cream company Van Leeuwen and ordered Rebel to pay $23.785 million to Van Leeuwen.
Van Leeuwen sued Rebel in 2021, alleging that the company’s packaging infringed on the unique appearance of its ice cream cups. Judge Komitee found that Rebel’s packaging was similar to Van Leeuwen’s. The evidence suggested that Rebel’s packaging caused consumer confusion and exhibited malicious behavior. The judge ordered Rebel to cease selling products with a trade dress similar to Van Leeuwen’s that could confuse consumers, and instructed the company to redesign its packaging.
The court documents do not confirm whether this packaging case is the sole reason for Rebel’s bankruptcy filing.
Rebel has denied the allegations of infringement and filed an appeal with the United States Federal Appeals Court on August 12th, challenging Judge Komitee’s ruling.
Rebel Creamery was established in September 2017. According to data released last month on Instacart, Rebel and Van Leeuwen are among the strongest growing ice cream brands in 2025 compared to the previous year.