The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals recently affirmed the enforcement of a jury trial waiver against a franchisee. Pizza Hut L.L.C. v. Pandya, 79 F.4th 535 (5th Cir. Aug. 22, 2023).

The California Court of Appeals for the Second District, creating a split of authority among California’s appellate courts, held that Ford Motor Co. did not have the right to enforce an arbitration provision in a sales contract between its dealership and a downstream purchaser. Montemayor v. Ford Motor Co., 92 Cal. App. 5th 958 (2023).

A federal court in Ohio recently denied in part a franchisor’s motion for summary judgment related to a dispute over the renewal of two area representative agreements. KAM Dev., LLC v. Marco’s Franchising, LLC, 2023 WL 3251216 (N.D. Ohio May 4, 2023).

A federal court in Tennessee denied a manufacturer’s motion to dismiss claims that it acted in bad faith and constructively terminated a dealership when it denied the dealer’s proposed relocation sites. Hyundai Subaru of Nashville v. Hyundai Motor Am., 2023 WL 2201015 (M.D. Tenn. Feb. 24, 2023).

A federal court in Ohio recently declined to dismiss a franchisee’s claims of breach of contract, rejecting the franchisor’s argument that the claims were barred by general releases included in the parties’ agreement. SC Am. v. Marco’s Franchising, 2023 WL 2229654 (N.D. Ohio Feb. 23, 2023).

A federal court in New York has denied a franchisor’s motion for preliminary injunction aimed at preventing a former franchisee from operating a competing business in the same location as its former franchised business because the franchisor did not establish that it would suffer irreparable harm absent an injunction. Doctor's Assocs. LLC v. Khononov, 2023 WL 184389 (E.D.N.Y. Jan. 13, 2023).

A federal court in Missouri recently ruled that antitrust claims against four real estate broker franchisors and a trade association may proceed to trial based on evidence that the association’s code of ethics may inflate broker commissions. Burnett v. Nat’l Ass’n Of Realtors, 2022 WL 17741708 (W.D. Mo. Dec. 16, 2022).

A Delaware trial court recently affirmed an administrative decision denying Tesla a dealer license because the Motor Vehicle Franchising Practices Act prohibits manufacturers from serving as dealers. Tesla v. Del. Div. of Motor Vehicles, 2022 WL 4483222 (Del. Super. Ct. Sept. 23, 2022).

Last week, the Governor of California signed AB 676, which includes several significant amendments to the California Franchise Relations Act and Franchise Investment Law.

Back in January 2022, the Franchise Memorandum reported on the North American Securities Administrators Association’s proposal to eliminate the use of acknowledgments and questionnaires that franchisors usually incorporate into their franchise sales closing process.

A federal court in New Jersey recently held that a contractual disclaimer of reliance did not bar the franchisee’s claim for fraudulent inducement. TSMA Franchise Sys., Ind., v. TS of Kings Highway Inc., 2022 WL 1602137 (D.N.J. May 20, 2022).

A Federal Court in Tennessee recently denied a franchisor’s motion for preliminary injunction and dissolved a temporary restraining order that had previously been put in place, because the franchisor could not demonstrate a likelihood of success on the merits of its claims, did not establish irreparable harm, and the customers of the defendant would be substantially harmed if the preliminary injunction were ordered. Freedom Franchise Sys., LLC v. CHOTO Boat Club LLC, 2022 WL 1206569 (E.D. Tenn. Apr. 21, 2022).

A federal court in Georgia denied a manufacturer’s motion for summary judgment related to its withholding of consent to a proposed transfer of a car dealer location. Savannah Motorcars, LLC v. Volkswagen Grp. Of Am., Inc., 2022 WL 866342 (S.D. Ga. Mar. 22, 2022).

An appellate court in Texas recently affirmed an award of damages to a franchisor on its claims to recover unpaid amounts under a franchise agreement and sublease. Beach Street Foods, Inc. v. Grandy’s, LLC, 2022 WL 187988 (Tex. Ct. App. Jan. 20, 2022).

A federal court in Ohio recently transferred to Georgia a class action alleging that a franchisor violated federal antitrust laws and breached license agreements by requiring its franchisees to use certain vendors and suppliers. Synergy Hotels, LLC v. Holiday Hosp. Franchising, LLC, 2021 WL 5979297 (S.D. Ohio Dec. 17, 2021).