FDD Items 3 & 4 · 2026 filing
Dairy Queen litigation history
What Dairy Queen disclosed about lawsuits, arbitrations and bankruptcy in the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document. Item 3 lists the material legal actions a franchisor must report; Item 4 covers bankruptcy. This is the franchisor's own disclosure, not a court record, and not legal advice.
Items 3 & 4 at a glance
What the filing discloses
- Cases disclosed
- 8
- Item 3, as counted in the filing
- Largest disclosed settlement
- $425K
- As stated in Item 3
- Bankruptcy (Item 4)
- None
- Franchisor, parent, predecessor or officer
- Filing year
- 2026
- Disclosures cover the prior ten years
Extracted from the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document
Item 3: litigation
4 pending: Oshlo-Wilkinson DQ vs ADQ (contract/Iowa Franchise Act - transfer rights); ADQ vs Estate of Ridl (termination/trademark infringement); Rhode Island General Treasurer vs Domino's et al (securities class action naming ADQ officer D'Elia); Project Lonestar vs ADQ (breach of contract/transfer process). 4 concluded settlements. ADQ is plaintiff in Ridl and Project Lonestar counterclaims; defendant in others.
Disclosure signals that moved the score
How this shows up in the verdict
- Multiple litigation categories (contract disputes, trademark infringement, encroachment claims) suggest franchisor credibility and operational governance issues
- Officer litigation history from previous franchise employment raises governance and compliance risk concerns
The verdict grade is FranchiseVerdict's editorial assessment across SBA loan performance, unit growth, revenue and disclosure signals. It is not investment advice.
Before you weigh a lawsuit
How to read Item 3
A franchisor must disclose pending actions and any material civil action involving the franchise relationship, plus convictions or civil judgments for fraud, unfair or deceptive practices, or franchise-law violations, going back ten years. A case the franchisor brought against a franchisee counts too. Item 3 does not include every dispute: settled claims below the materiality line and matters resolved in private arbitration can be absent.
Questions worth asking current and former franchisees, using the contact list in Item 20:
- Were you, or anyone you know in the system, party to a dispute with the franchisor?
- Was it resolved by settlement, arbitration or a court, and on what terms?
- Has the number of disputes gone up or down since you signed?