Franchise agreements may be assigned to another franchisee without consent upon bankruptcy

A recent Alberta appellate decision establishes that a trustee in bankruptcy may sell a franchise agreement to a third party, in spite of objections by the franchisor, under the Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act (BIA). The Alberta Court of Appeal’s decision in Ford Motor Company of Canada Ltd v Welcome Ford Sales Ltd contains three important messages for franchisors:

Filed under:
Canada, Alberta, Franchising, Insolvency & Restructuring, Litigation, McCarthy Tétrault LLP, Bankruptcy, Consent, Legal burden of proof, Franchise agreement, Ford Motor Company, Bankruptcy and Insolvency Act 1985 (Canada), Trustee, United States bankruptcy court, Court of Appeal of Alberta
Authors:
Jane Langford
Location:
Canada
Firm:
McCarthy Tétrault LLP