Since 1981, rumours have circulated that P&G's logo covertly represented Satan -- it features a bearded crescent man in the moon surrounded by 13 stars.

Fundamentalist Christians claimed that the man had horns and that the 13 stars were emblematic of a satanic cabal.

The company responded by saying that the 13 stars represented the original 13 states of the United States of America and restyled the logo to remove the 'horns' -- all to no avail.

Distributors of products from rivals Amway were not reluctant to pass such rumours along, according to testimony heard in court.

Former Amway distributor Randy L. Haugen circulated the satanic rumour to other Amway salesmen on a common phone-message system, then circulated the retraction.

The original message, however, found its way to Procter & Gamble.

Amway is a notorious multi-level marketing network, described by detractors as being akin to a religious cult.

The company sells its range of toiletries to members of the public who are then encourages to sell to their friends, family, and work colleagues -- bringing them into the Amway 'family'.

Amway itself claims that it acted quickly to quash rumours and the company was dismissed from the case, leaving four ex-distributors to face the music.

As one of the world's largest and most successful companies, the multi-million settlement matters little to them -- and the distributors are covered by liability insurance so will not be personally out of pocket.

But the lawsuit hopefully closes this most bizarre chapter in American corporate history.