Fort Lauderdale Franchise Litigation Lawyers

Experienced Legal Professionals Assisting Businesses

Franchise agreements require equal cooperation from both the franchisor and the franchisee. When cooperation from the other party is no longer possible, you need an experienced advocate to assist you in resolving the matter. The lawyers at Stok Kon + Braverman have been helping Fort Lauderdale businesses for over a decade. Our lawyers provide skilled representation to both franchisors and franchisees. We work closely with our clients to help them seek the maximum benefit from their franchise agreement.

Franchise Law in Florida

The relationship between franchisor and franchisee can be a complex one. Ideally, both parties benefit; the franchisor gets to expand the reach of its brand, while the franchisee welcomes the opportunity to own a business. This relationship becomes unbalanced, however, when one of the parties feels that it has been wronged. When either the franchisor or franchisee believes that the other is not holding up their part of the business deal, litigation may be the only solution.

Franchisor Claims Against Franchisees

There are a number of possible claims that a franchisor could bring against a franchisee. For instance, if a franchisee is allegedly failing to follow franchise protocols or poorly executing the operation of the franchise, the franchisor could bring a cause of action asserting that the franchisee is causing damage to the goodwill or reputation of the brand. When a former franchise owner terminates the contract and starts up their own business that is similar to that of the franchisor, the franchisor could bring a claim for breach of a non-compete agreement.

Franchisors may also bring intellectual property claims against franchisees. Should the franchisee misappropriate the symbol or trademark of the franchisor in some way (making a symbol that closely resembles that of the franchisor, for example), the franchisor could bring an action against the franchisee.

Other common claims brought by franchisors include:

• Failure of the franchisee to pay marketing or royalty fees
• Failure to comply with post-termination requirements
• General breach of contract claims