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Is Franchising Doomed?
Strategies for Negotiating with a Franchisee and Franchisor
Before committing to a franchise business, consider...
A federal court in California recently granted a franchisor’s motion to compel arbitration and stay the lawsuit in a dispute alleging breach of contract, breach of the implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and...more
A federal district court in Tennessee granted a motion for a default judgment in the franchisor’s favor against its former franchisee requiring the franchisee to pay damages and comply with the post-termination obligations...more
A California federal court partially granted a motion to compel arbitration by car care franchisor Spiffy Franchising. However, the court invalidated provisions in the franchise agreement providing for dispute resolution in...more
A federal court in Michigan recently granted a motion to dismiss for lack of personal jurisdiction against one owner of a franchisor, while denying the motion to dismiss against the other owner and granting the franchisor’s...more
A federal court in Washington recently granted a motion brought by franchisor Nurse Next Door Home Healthcare Services, Inc. (NND) to compel arbitration of a Florida-based franchisee’s claims. Nurse Next Door Home Healthcare...more
A federal court in New York recently ruled that an interim arbitration order was final and granted a developer’s petition to confirm the order which required the franchisor to make payments to the developer while the...more
A federal court in California recently granted a motion brought by a franchisor and two of its employees to compel arbitration and dismiss an action alleging violations of the California Franchise Investment Law, breach of...more
A Florida district court granted a motion to stay court proceedings pending arbitration between a franchisor and a third-party, non-signatory to a franchise agreement, containing an arbitration clause....more
A federal court in Tennessee recently compelled arbitration for parties in a franchise disclosure dispute. B&P Glass Mirror, LLC v. Clozetivity Franchising, LLC, 2023 WL 3484205 (M.D. Tenn. May 16, 2023). Plaintiff B&P...more
A federal court in Tennessee granted franchisor Frost Shades’ motion to compel arbitration of franchisee Lunt’s fraudulent inducement of contract claims, but the court also granted in part franchisee Lunt’s request for a...more
In a case involving an unorthodox procedural posture, a federal court in Oregon determined that nonsignatory franchisee owners are not subject to a franchise agreement arbitration provision. Goergen v. Black Rock Coffee B.,...more
An Oregon federal court denied a franchisor’s motion to compel the principals and personal guarantors of a franchisee into arbitration because the parties did not sign arbitration agreements in the franchise documents....more
A federal court in New Jersey has denied a motion to compel arbitration in a dispute over alleged breach of a franchise agreement. Passion for Restaurants, Inc. v. Villa Pizza, LLC, 2022 WL 18024209 (D.N.J. Dec. 30, 2022)....more
Ninth Circuit Reverses Class Action Settlement Approval and Fee Award - The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has reversed the approval of a $10 million voucher settlement and a $2.6 million attorneys’ fee award in a class...more
Two Illinois Federal Courts Deny Class Certification in Anti-Poaching Class Actions Against Franchisors - Two federal courts in Illinois have rejected motions to certify classes of employees who worked in franchised...more
Welcome to The Franchise Memorandum by Lathrop GPM. Periodically, The Franchise Memorandum focuses on topics primarily of interest to companies that use distributors and dealers rather than manage a business format franchise...more
Welcome to The Franchise Memorandum by Lathrop GPM, formerly known as The GPMemorandum. Below are summaries of recent legal developments of interest to franchisors. Given the widespread and evolving impact of the COVID-19...more
A federal district court upheld an arbitration panel’s decision to deny attorneys’ fees to Benihana, even though Benihana won a dispute with its licensee. The licensee started arbitration claiming Benihana breached the...more
When you pay your phone bill, part of the taxes go into a fund used by the government to subsidize cell phone service to qualifying individuals, under federal and state Lifeline programs. Phones typically reach the end...more
In May, the U.S. Supreme Court held that mandatory arbitration agreements containing class action or collective action waivers must be enforced as written....more
A set of former franchisees are prohibited from violating the terms of a non-compete clause with franchisor Wild Bird Centers of America (“WBCA”) for two years after the Fourth Circuit recently upheld the denial of their...more
A federal court in New Jersey granted a franchisor's motion to compel arbitration of disputes involving seven frozen yogurt franchises, even though the claims were subject to different arbitration provisions in different...more
Maryland law requires franchisors include a provision in their franchise agreements that preserves the franchisee’s ability to litigate certain claims in court rather than in arbitration. In Chorley Enterprises, Inc. v....more
While dispute resolution clauses may be straightforward for domestic franchise agreements as a result of the Franchising Code, dispute resolution clauses can be one of the most neglected provisions in international master...more
Goodwin Procter’s Business Litigation Reporter provides timely summaries of key cases and other developments within dedicated Business Litigation sessions and related courts throughout the country – courts within which...more