Posted on Thu, 11/3/2011 - 03:38 PM by
viewed 101 times

When is an earnings claim not an earnings claim? When made on FranchiseGator or to the SBA.

Mark Meade purchased a Kiddie Academy franchise. Things did not go well, and he ended up bankrupt.

Meade brought a state court suit and a federal suit against Kiddie Academy, alleging that they had made earnings claims and provided false information to enable him to get an SBA loan from CIT.

Meade even attached a printout from FranchiseGator, and attached earnings projections (on Kiddie Academy stationery) as pages 30 and pages 37 thru 40 in his Exhibits (pdf).

The franchisor attorneys responded with a Memorandum of Law (pdf) in which they noted that the Franchise Agreement disclaims

any warranty or guarantee, express or implied as to potential volume, profits earnings or success of the business venture contemplated by this Agreement

The attorneys also noted that there was an arbitration provision and a one-year time limit for bringing any claims.

On October 25, the federal judge dismissed Mark Meade's pro se lawsuit.

Would Meade have gotten a different result using an experienced attorney?  Perhaps not. But the court pleadings are a cautionary lesson to anyone who thinks that franchisors can be held to account for an earnings claim made to the SBA.

And the court pleadings suggest that the SBA investigation of Banco Popular may have missed a much more significant lender, not to mention other franchisors.

There is a reason that FranchiseGator crocodile in the suit is grinning.

Mark Meade v. Kiddie Academy Domestic Franchising, D. New Jersey, October 25, 2011

For Mark Meade: pro se

For Kiddie Academy: Craig Tractenberg, Nixon Peabody (New York)

AttachmentSize
Meade v. Kiddie EXHIBITS 7Apr2011.pdf3.15 MB
Kiddie MEMO in Support to Dismiss 18Mar11.pdf495.3 KB
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