Franchises

A franchisee class action against United Petroleum has lost its bid to amend its case for the tenth time in four years, but a judge has given the class action another shot at updating the pleadings.

A former GJ Gardner franchisee claims the company cannot pursue breach of contract claims against him because the home builder had the opportunity to pursue the claims in an earlier case.

Bubble tea chain Sharetea has been hit with $39,600 in penalties after the ACCC expressed concerns that a term in its agreements requiring franchisees to foot the bill for any disputes ran afoul of the Franchising Code.

Real estate agency Belle Property is suing its Sandringham branch, alleging the franchisee is threatening to breach its agreement and good faith obligation by jumping to a new franchise network.

Westpac's former home lending business RAMS will pay $29.6 million to resolve a class action over the termination of agreements with franchisees.

Defunct Westpac subsidiary RAMS Financial Group has agreed to settle a class action over the termination of franchise agreements.

A franchisee class action against United Petroleum has dropped a swathe of claims, including allegations of misleading and deceptive conduct, as it seeks to amend its case for the tenth time in four years.

A law firm that ran a consumer class action by franchisees will recover less than a third of the costs it incurred in running the case after a small settlement was reached.

A banned financial advisor who is suing former employer AMP Financial Planning for alleged unconscionable conduct is seeking to join AMP Bank to the case, claiming it made fraudulent misrepresentations.

A class action against United Petroleum by franchisees alleging they were forced to run loss-making Pie Face stores has found two funders to bankroll the case, one of which is based in Hong Kong.