Metro

‘Bunny’ beverage battle

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Honchos at Playboy’s bunny-eared empire are asses, claims one energy-drink company.

PlayBev — a beverage firm that manufactures and markets the “ultra-sexy” Playboy Energy Drink worldwide — is suing the New York- and Chicago-based Playboy Enterprises International for failing to honor a licensing agreement between them, according to court documents filed last week.

PlayBev claims that it had struck a five-year deal with Playboy in 2006 to distribute the drink using Playboy’s “rabbit-head design.”

But in 2011, before the contract expired, Playboy began working with a different distributor — despite a verbal agreement from Playboy execs to renew the contract, PlayBev claims.

PlayBev is now seeking damages of “several million dollars,” saying the breach of contract was “willful and malicious,” court documents state.

Playboy and PlayBev did not respond to requests for comment.