FDD Items 3 & 4 · 2026 filing

Little Caesars litigation history

What Little Caesars 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 (litigation) & 4 (bankruptcy) at a glance

What the filing discloses

Cases disclosed: 11; Item 3, as counted in the filing

Largest settlement, franchisor's own cases: None stated

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

7 completed actions including breach of contract, franchise enforcement/termination, antitrust, and arbitration matters; 4 recent franchisee enforcement actions in 2025 fiscal year including ROFR enforcement and promissory note collection

Item 3 (litigation) · 11 matters disclosed · 1 pending listed

Litigation cases

The franchisor

Pending (1)

Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. v. Essential Food Group, Inc., et al.
pending
Brought by the franchisor · filed 2025-08-15 · U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Detroit · 2:25-cv-12554-LJM-DRG
“… U.S. District Court for the Eastern”Page 14 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “This matter remains pending.”

Concluded (10)

Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. v. Sam Enterprises, Inc., et al.
settled
Brought by the franchisor · filed 2025-03-19 · U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Detroit · 2:25-cv-10767-TGB-CI
“… U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan”Page 14 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “On January 15, 2026, the parties settled the case, with the defendants being given another opportunity to sell their franchises”
Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc., et al. v. J-Chevelle Ventures, LLC, et al.
concluded
Brought by the franchisor · filed 2025-08-28 · U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Detroit · 2:25-cv-12713-TGB-EAS
“… U.S. District Court for the Eastern”Page 14 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “all of these cases have been resolved”
Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc., et al. v. Nibble Nation, LLC, et al.
concluded
Brought by the franchisor · filed 2025-08-10 · U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Flint · 4:25-cv-12636-SDK-CI
“… U.S. District Court for the Eastern”Page 14 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “all of these cases have been resolved”
PMD Growth Partners, LLC v. Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc.
settled
filed 2023-05-17 · Circuit Court for the County of Wayne, Michigan · 23-6354-CB
“… Circuit Court for the County of Wayne, Michigan”Page 13 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “On November 21, 2023, the parties settled the case, with the plaintiff agreeing to dismiss and release all claims in return for a payment.”
Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. v. Phoenix Enterprise Nexus India Private Limited, et al.
settled
Brought by the franchisor · filed 2022-03-10 · International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce · 26924/PDP
“Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc. v. Phoenix Enterprise Nexus India Private Limited, et al., Case No. 26924/PDP”Page 13 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “On February 13, 2023, the parties entered into a settlement terminating the franchisee”
Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc., et al. v. AJR 2, Inc., et al.
settled
Brought by the franchisor · filed 2022-09-13 · U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division, Detroit · 2:22-cv-12172-SJM-EAS
“… U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan”Page 13 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “On April 4, 2023, the parties entered into a settlement permitting the franchisee an opportunity to sell the terminated franchises.”
Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc., et al. v. Hamilton LC, LLC, et al.
settled
Brought by the franchisor · filed 2022-04-20 · U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division, Detroit · 2:22-cv-10846-LVP-KGA
“… U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division”Page 13 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “On February 13, 2023, the parties entered into a settlement permitting the franchisee an opportunity to sell the terminated franchises and giving the franchisee temporary royalty and advertising fee relief.”
Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc., et al. v. Miramar Quick Service Restaurant Corp., et al.
dismissed
Brought by the franchisor · filed 2018-03-08 · U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division, Detroit · 2:18-cv-10767-TGB-EAS
“… U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division”Page 13 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “the district court granted Little Caesar’s motion to dismiss the defendants’ counterclaims and the case.” (page 14)
Ogden v. Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc., et al.
settled
Brought by a franchisee · filed 2018-09-07 · U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division, Detroit · 2:18cv12792-DML-RSW
“… U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division”Page 14 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “On January 23, 2020, the parties settled the case, with Ogden agreeing to dismiss and release all of his claims in return for a payment.”
Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc., et al. v. Little Caesars ASF Corporation, et al.
judgment
Brought by the franchisor · filed 2017-07-17 · U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division, Detroit · 2:17-cv-12329-MAG-RSW
“… U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, Southern Division”Page 14 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “On January 5, 2021, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit affirmed the district court”

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.

Disclosure signals that moved the score

How this shows up in the verdict

High litigation history including breach of contract, fraud in inducement, and anti-poaching settlement suggests adversarial franchisor-franchisee relationships
Franchisor appears litigious against franchisees—multiple cases initiated to enforce terminations and exercise contractual rights, indicating enforcement-heavy management style

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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