Miami Attorneys Take on Major New York Franchiser to Land $1.6M Arbitration Award for Franchisees

Carlton Fields attorneys Yolanda P. Strader, Christopher O. Aird, and Raina T. Shipman were featured in the Daily Business Review after obtaining a favorable seven-figure award on behalf of their clients, Auctus Restaurant Group and Klayrock, LLC, in an arbitration against franchisor Golden Krust. The restaurant groups prevailed on claims of breach of contract and violations of Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act, after the arbitrator found that Golden Krust engaged in unfair practices that benefitted certain franchisees with familial ties to Golden Krust’s founder, Lowell Hawthorne. These benefits came in the form of reduced fees or better pricing for Golden Krust food products.

“It was an unfair system that made it very difficult to thrive, and one that our clients had to deal with for several years,” Strader told the publication. “So it was worth, quite frankly, going up against a giant in the Caribbean community.”

READ: Daily Business Review, “Miami Attorneys Take on Major New York Franchiser to Land $1.6M Arbitration Award for Franchisees” (subscription only)

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