ATK and Christopher Kimball settle lawsuit

The feud between America’s Test Kitchen and Christopher Kimball appears to be over. Today the parties announced a settlement in the three-year legal battle that began when Kimball was forced out (or resigned, depending on your point of view) of ATK and started his own (very similar) company.

The details of the agreement were not disclosed, but we do know that Kimball agreed to sell his shares in ATK back to the company. Kimball will be able to continue with Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street, which will compete with ATK for viewers and readers. 

In late 2016, ATK sued Kimball, accusing him of breach of trust and alleging that he took ATK’s databases and recipes and used them to help start his Milk Street venture.  Neither party would comment beyond a short statement announcing the settlement, which said that “America’s Test Kitchen and Christopher Kimball’s Milk Street agree that an amicable separation is in the best interest of their respective companies.” 

Since the split, both companies seem to be doing well. In a November, 2018 Forbes article, ATK CEO David Nussbaum claimed that ATK and Cook’s Country TV remained the “top two practical cooking shows on television.” He said that changes at ATK had improved their reach, especially in the digital subscription realm. Meanwhile Milk Street: Tuesday Nights won both IACP and JBF cookbook awards. It seems to be a win-win for cookbook and food lovers.