Auto Lab: Litigation & Risk
Automotive · FDD Items 3, 4 & 5
Moderate: Review
1 case disclosed in FDD Items 3 and 4.
FDD Items 3 & 4
Litigation Metrics
- Cases disclosed
- 1
- Total from FDD Items 3 and 4
- Bankruptcy (Item 4)
- None
- Franchisor or officer bankruptcy
- Verdict score
- 63 / 100
- FranchiseVerdict composite · higher is better
- Rating
- A
- A / B / C / D / F verdict grade
7(a) FOIA data · FY2020–present
SBA Loan Performance
Aggregated from public SBA 7(a) loan disclosures. Charge-off rate is the share of loans that were charged off or settled for less than the full balance.
- Total 7(a) loans
- 9
- Government-backed loans issued
- Charge-off rate
- N/A
- vs 16% franchise average
- 5-yr charge-off rate
- N/A
- Defaults
- N/A
- Loans charged off or defaulted
- Total loan volume
- $2.5M
- Avg loan size
- $277K
- Participating lenders
- 7
FDD Items 5, 6 & 17: What You Give Up
Contract Risk Indicators
- Mandatory arbitration
- Required
- Disputes resolved outside court, limits your legal options
- Non-compete
- 2 yrs
- Post-termination restriction on similar businesses
- Franchisor can compete
- Yes
- Franchisor can open competing locations in or near your territory
- Right of first refusal
- Yes
- Franchisor can match any purchase offer when you try to sell
Extracted from FDD Item 3
Litigation Detail
Franchisee Empower Central Michigan, Inc. filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy (Aug 2023) and sought to reject its franchise agreement to operate a competing business; Bankruptcy Court (E.D. Mich.) held Auto-Lab's contract rights survived rejection and enjoined Empower from competing/violating confidentiality and non-compete provisions; Empower's Amended Plan of Reorganization (assuming the franchise agreement) was confirmed Aug 21, 2024; case closed Oct 28, 2024.
Litigation data from FDD Items 3, 4, and 5. SBA data from public 7(a) FOIA records (FY2020–present). Not legal advice. Consult a franchise attorney before signing any franchise agreement.