FDD Items 3 & 4 · 2024 filing

Green Leaf's Beyond Great Salads / Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt litigation history

What Green Leaf's Beyond Great Salads / Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt disclosed about lawsuits, arbitrations and bankruptcy in the 2024 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 (litigation) & 4 (bankruptcy) at a glance

What the filing discloses

Cases disclosed: 9; Item 3, as counted in the filing

Largest settlement, franchisor's own cases: None stated

Bankruptcy (Item 4): Disclosed · an officer; Franchisor, parent, predecessor or officer

Filing year: 2024; Disclosures cover the prior ten years

Extracted from the 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document

Item 3: litigation

Item 3 discloses: (1) affiliate lease dispute at American Dream Mall (pending); (2) trademark infringement suit against Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop (pending); (3) three unpaid royalties suits against franchisees (one default judgment, two settlements); (4) four historical judgments against former affiliate R&S Ventures for nonpayment of rent.

Item 3 (litigation) · 9 matters disclosed · 2 pending listed

Litigation cases

The franchisor

Pending (1)

Everything Yogurt Brands, LLC v. Jonathan Rollo, Greenleaf Gourmet Chopshop, LLC, Greenleaf Operations LLC, and Mission Yogurt Inc.
pending
Brought by the franchisor · filed 2023-08-10 · United States District Court, Central District of California, Western Division · 2:23-cv-06526-FMO-JC
“… – Filed August 10, 2023 in United States District Court, Central District of California Western Division (Case No. 2.23-cv-06526-FMO-JC).”Page 13 of the 2024 FDD, Item 3

Concluded (3)

Everything Yogurt Brands, LLC and Villa Pizza, LLC v. Asif Shahzad, Aqsa Hashmi, Taco Jersey Green, Inc. and Hashmi Management, Inc.
settled
Brought against a franchisee · filed 2021-08-06 · Superior Court of New Jersey, Morris County · MRS-L-1709-21
“… – Filed August 6, 2021 in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Morris County (MRS-L-1709-21) by Plaintiffs for monetary recovery”Page 13 of the 2024 FDD, Item 3
Villa Pizza, LLC, and Everything Yogurt Brands, LLC v. 1314 Food Services, Inc., Michael Dzanoucakis, Servat Ibrahim and Amjad Ibrahim
settled
Brought against a franchisee · filed 2021-06-03 · Superior Court of New Jersey, Morris County · MRS-L-1246-21
“… – Filed June 3, 2021 in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Morris County (MRS-L-1246-21) by Plaintiffs for monetary recovery of unpaid royalties under Franchise Agreements for restaurants located at the Tanger Outlets-Riverhead (Riverhead, NY).”Page 13 of the 2024 FDD, Item 3
Villa Pizza, LLC, Everything Yogurt Brands, LLC and Villa Ristorante, Inc. v. Fast Casual Enterprises, LLC, Richard Kim, Timothy Tary and Jungwon Baeg
settled
Brought against a franchisee · filed 2016 · Superior Court of New Jersey, Morris County · MRS-L-2356-16
“… filed October 2016 in the Superior Court of New Jersey, Morris County (MRS-L-2356-16) by Plaintiff based upon franchise agreements seeking monetary relief for unpaid fees, rent and other payments.”Page 13 of the 2024 FDD, Item 3

Parent, affiliates, master franchisor and subfranchisor

Pending (1)

Ameream LLC v. Villa Pizza Enterprises of New Jersey, Inc. d/b/a Tony + Benny’s, d/b/a Green Leaf’s Beyond Great Salads and Bananas Smoothies & Frozen Yogurt and Villa Restaurant Group
pending
Brought by a third party · Villa Pizza Enterprises of New Jersey, Inc. and Villa Restaurant Group · filed 2021-01-28 · Superior Court of New Jersey, Bergen County, Law Division · BER-L-000638-21
“… Superior Court of New Jersey, Bergen County, Law Division, Docket No.”Page 13 of the 2024 FDD, Item 3

Concluded (4)

Centermark Properties of West Covina v. R&S Ventures, Inc.
judgment
Brought by a third party · R&S Ventures, Inc. (former affiliate of Everything Yogurt Brands, Inc., assignor of the Company) · Superior Court of the State of California, East District, Los Angeles County · KC014078
“c. Centermark Properties of West Covina v. R&S Ventures, Inc. Case No. KC014078 Superior Court of the State of California, East District, Los Angeles County David Sung, as subtenant of R&S Ventures, Inc., executed a sublease agreement for premises located at West Covina Mall in California for a ten-year period.”Page 14 of the 2024 FDD, Item 3
DeBartolo Capital Partnership v. R&S Ventures
judgment
Brought by a third party · R&S Ventures, Inc. (former affiliate of Everything Yogurt Brands, Inc., assignor of the Company) · Common Pleas Court, Mahoning County, Ohio · 95CV1 533
“b. DeBartolo Capital Partnership v. R&S Ventures Case No. 95CV1 533 Common Pleas Court, Mahoning County, Ohio R&S Ventures, Inc. subleased premises at Summit Mall, Ohio to Spray Development Co. as subtenant, on December 7, 1988 and the lease was terminated by the landlord for subtenant’s failure to pay rent.”Page 14 of the 2024 FDD, Item 3
Mayfair Properties, Inc. v. R&S Ventures, Inc.
judgment
Brought by a third party · R&S Ventures, Inc. (former affiliate of Everything Yogurt Brands, Inc., assignor of the Company) · State of Wisconsin, Milwaukee County · 10704/93
“a. Mayfair Properties, Inc. v. R&S Ventures, Inc. Index No. 10704/93 State of Wisconsin, Milwaukee County Yogurt Queen, Inc., a subtenant of R&S Ventures, Inc., defaulted on the rent and abandoned the premises located at Mayfair Mall in Wisconsin on or about August 9, 1992.”Page 14 of the 2024 FDD, Item 3
W.G. Park L.P. vs. R&S Ventures, Inc.
judgment
Brought by a third party · R&S Ventures, Inc. (former affiliate of Everything Yogurt Brands, Inc., assignor of the Company) · Court of Common Pleas, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania · 01-13409
“d. W.G. Park L.P. vs. R&S Ventures, Inc., Case No. 01-13409 Court of Common Pleas, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, R&S Ventures leased a premises at the Willow Grove Mall in Willow Grove, Pennsylvania and subleased same to Yash Paul Chawla.”Page 14 of the 2024 FDD, Item 3

Item 3 lists the litigation the franchisor must disclose; a matter against a parent, an affiliate or a named officer is not a matter against the franchisor, and pending claims are allegations, not findings.

Disclosed in the 2024 Franchise Disclosure Document

Item 4: bankruptcy

Biagio Scotto (President) was president of Villa Pizza Specialties, Inc. (Texas), which filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy case #15-31057 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court – District of New Jersey; case closed February 14, 2017.

Disclosure signals that moved the score

How this shows up in the verdict

Pending litigation on mall leases and trademark infringement creates operational and brand risk

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?

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