Courthouse News Service:
More than 50 Burger King franchisees say corporate headquarters can’t force them to
pay the $5 million the company agreed to pay a class of disabled customers who claimed 10 Burger King restaurants in California were not wheelchair or scooter-accessible. The franchisees say they had no part in the alleged wrongdoing, and the corporate demand for roughly $35,000 per outlet violates their franchise agreements.
After the class settlement was reached, Burger King sent a letter to each franchisee, demanding “that plaintiffs ‘acknowledge their responsibility’ for their restaurants,” and repay Burger King “approximately $34,000 to $36,000 for each restaurant,” according to the complaint. Burger King also demanded reimbursement of $2.5 million in attorneys’ fees.