The Supreme Court issued a decision Thursday in a case named Smith, et al. v. Spizzirri, et al., that has significant import for the franchise community. Many, if not the vast majority of, franchise agreements contain clauses...more
5/17/2024
/ Arbitration ,
Arbitration Agreements ,
Certiorari ,
Dismissals ,
Federal Arbitration Act ,
Franchises ,
Judicial Proceedings ,
Mandatory Arbitration ,
SCOTUS ,
Smith v Spizzirri ,
Stays
On Labor Day, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act (FAST Recovery Act), which authorized the California Department of Industrial Relations to create a Fast Food Council...more
This fall we posted about the North American Securities Administrators’ (NASAA) adoption of a Statement of Policy Regarding the Use of Franchise Questionnaires and Acknowledgments (the “SOP”). Technically, NASAA’s SOP...more
On Labor Day, California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed the Fast Food Accountability and Standards Recovery Act (FAST Recovery Act), which authorized the California Department of Industrial Relations to create a Fast Food Council...more
While the Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act was passed by the House of Representatives, it has not been made part of the Biden administration’s infrastructure efforts thus far and does not appear have sufficient support...more
The California version of the ABC test is arguably the most hostile to franchising. Nonetheless, the risk is not confined to California.
This is because the ABC employee classification test, with variations, has been...more
The second troublesome threat is the joint employment standard. The Obama Adminstration DOL caused angst in the franchise industry in January 2016, when it adopted a joint employment standard that focused on “whether the...more
Omens of the Apocalypse for the franchise industry are everywhere:
•The pending Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act;
•The return of David Weill, author of Fissured Employment and chief architect of the Obama era...more
Starting on July 1, 2021. the NCAA permitted student-athletes throughout the country to profit from their name, image, and likeness (“NIL”). This decision marks a major shift from the NCAA’s longstanding amateurism model. ...more
(This post solely reflects the views of the author, and not that of Fox Rothschild or any of its other attorneys.)
While I am not opposed to immunity laws generally, I am not fan of immunity that is too broad. Given that...more
Surprise! On April 8th, FASB delayed for one year the implementation of the new ASC 606 revenue recognition standards for private companies, citing the coronavirus pandemic. In addition to delaying implementation, FASB...more
A recession is coming, if it is not already here. But this won’t be a recession like 2008. Back then, the banks threw you under the bus so that they could survive. Today, they are stronger. More importantly, they know they...more
The wait is over: This morning the NLRB announced that it will issue its final rule governing joint-employer status tomorrow, February 26, 2020. According to the NLRB itself, the “final rule restores the joint-employer...more
Last time we asked, given the high number of restaurant concept bankruptcies and money sloshing around in the sector, is there still more upside than downside in the restaurant franchising sector? We can find the answer by...more
Imagine operating a single restaurant. The food keeps bringing them in, and prices are relatively stable. Consumer confidence is high, unemployment low, discretionary income rising, and people are going out more. Now multiply...more
To paraphrase Benjamin Franklin, “Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.” That is true in any business, but particularly so in franchising. Planning is more important in franchising because franchising leverages a...more
On December 28, 2018, the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals issued an opinion in the Browning-Ferris case. In this much anticipated decision, the Court of Appeals concluded that the National Labor Relations Board’s decision to...more
Does the EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) apply to my brand? This is a question with which many U.S.-based franchisors have been grappling since the GDPR took effect on May 25th. Six months later, the European...more
In our last post, we examined some of the types of risk that come with growth. In this post, we discuss some forms of diligence that may be used to better manage that risk....more
Growth can be expensive, but it is always more expensive when the expansion is taken without risk assessment. Whether domestic or foreign, many risks can be reduced or avoided by proper consideration of differences between...more
Renewed Efforts to End No Poaching Provisions-
Franchisors need to review their franchise agreements and take immediate action in response to the recent onslaught of legal action over “naked no poaching” provisions in...more
In a major policy announcement, on Friday, September 14, 2018, the National Labor Relations Board (the “Board”) proposed a new regulation establishing the standard for determining whether two employers, as defined in Section...more
The Fox Rothschild team of Megan Center and Alex Radus recently gave a presentation at the International Franchise Expo in New York City on the “Top Ten Provisions to ‘Never’ Negotiate in a Franchise Agreement.” A summary of...more
We, Megan Center and Alex Radus, recently gave a presentation at the International Franchise Expo in New York City on the “Top Ten Provisions to ‘Never’ Negotiate in a Franchise Agreement” and want to share the highlights of...more
Change is inevitable in a franchise system, and disclosure then becomes a concern. Disclosure may be a business issue for the existing franchisees, but it becomes a legal issue in the offer and sale of franchises. The...more