Though an individual owner and operator of a formerly franchised Church's Chicken restaurant in Texas was not a signer of the franchise agreement, a district court ruled the individual was subject to the agreement's post-termination provisions. The ruling was based on assumption and equitable estoppel. The operator was enjoined from further use of the franchisor's trademarks or any confusingly similar marks; from breaching the agreement's non-competition provisions; and from taking actions violating the agreement's post-expiration obligations. The court found the franchisor was likely to succeed on the merits for breach of the franchise agreement and trademark infringement against the restaurant operator.
Shortly after a third-party franchisee entered into the franchise agreement, the franchisee sold the restaurant to the operator without notice to the franchisor. The operator performed under the agreement for the entire ten-year term as if he was an authorized franchisee. When the agreement expired, the operator re-branded the restaurant as a competing quick-service restaurant specializing in the sale of fried chicken using a logo, marks and other décor similar to those used at the former Church's Chicken restaurant. The franchisor demanded that the operator cease and desist and upon the operator's refusal, the franchisor filed suit.
Assumption and equitable estoppel applied to prevent the operator from having it both ways. After ten years of performing and enjoying the benefits of the agreement, he could not repudiate the post-expiration obligations in the same agreement. The court enjoined the operator's infringement and unlawful competition based on finding the operator's continued operation was causing the franchisor irreparable injury.
Non-signatory operators who operate under and benefit from a franchise agreement for a long period should understand they cannot avoid post-term obligations simply because they did not sign the agreement. The non-signatory faces risk of being subject to the same injunction order as would an ordinary franchisee who signed the contract with the franchisor.
