Colombian Coffee Growers withdraw cartoonist lawsuit

Turns out some people do have a sense of humor after all. Or at least they can accept apologies. Colombia's coffee growers federation has dropped its lawsuit against U.S. cartoonist Mike Peters, according to a Web story Tuesday by Colombia Reports. The federation had threatened a $20 million lawsuit after its Juan Valdez coffee brand had been an innocuous punchline in Peters' “Mother Goose and Grimm” strip on Jan. 2. The coffee growers accepted Peters’ apology, which he voiced immediately when news of the lawsuit broke. The federation claimed the syndicated cartoonist had insulted Colombia's national dignity and would seek not just an economic compensation, but also “moral compensation. A public manifestation," federation director Gabriel Silva said during a press conference last week. The cartoonist met with representatives of the coffee growers. The Pulitzer Prize winner reportedly was invited to visit Colombia's coffee region and see for himself how the coffee is grown.