FOX News Reports on Coffee Beanery Franchisees Dilemma
BALTIMORE – FOX 45 News reporter Joy Lepola interviewed Coffee Beanery franchisees Deborah Williams and Richard Welshans on April 27, revealing the couple’s long legal battle with the franchisor. “We are victims of franchise fraud,” declares Williams. The reporter takes viewers through the saga of how the franchisees bought into the Coffee Beanery franchise in Annapolis, only to lose everything. They state that they have lost $1.5 million and are now waiting to be kicked out of their home which has been foreclosed on. William says, “We don’t know when we are leaving. We don’t know where we are going.”
Although Lepola reports in the interview that a settlement from the Attorney General’s office in Maryland gave them the opportunity to get their investment back and terminate their franchise agreement, Williams corrects that saying, “That is not so. How do you get $100,000 as the investment when it was well in access of $400,000. And,” she adds, “we were still personally obligated to the landlord for our lease.” But Lepola does state, there was a catch in accepting the deal with the Maryland AG’s office. They would have to relinquish their right to sue. They refused and filed a lawsuit instead.
Here is the video of the interview: WBFF FOX 45 :: Cover Story
--
Related reading:
- Forced Arbitration: You Lose, Now Pay For Our Lunch
- Organizations that support the Arbitration Fairness Act of 2009 (pdf, 4 pgs)
- One Couple's Descent into Coffee Beanery Franchise Hell
- Coffee Beanery Attempts to Stay Mandate Pending Supreme Court Petition
- Coffee Beanery Franchisees Testify for Arbitration Fairness Act
- AAA Rejects Coffee Beanery Franchisees Request for Arbitration Expenses
- Coffee Beanery Franchisees Win on Appeal; Arbitration Decision Vacated
- Coffee Beanery Story To Be Presented to Congress
- Coffee Beanery Franchisees Fight On Despite Losses
- Sixth Circuit Denies Coffee Beanery Petition for Rehearing
- Stories of Americans Hurt by Forced Arbitration | Fair Arbitration Now
- Franchise topic:
