FDD Items 3 & 4 · 2026 filing
Moe’s Southwest Grill litigation history
What Moe’s Southwest Grill 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
- 3
- Item 3, as counted in the filing
- Largest disclosed settlement
- $650K
- 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
Two pending actions involving Taylor Investment Partners: (1) TIP sued Moe's/MFL/GoTo Foods over franchise non-renewal (Moe's as defendant); (2) Moe's sued TIP for trademark infringement (Moe's as plaintiff). One concluded predecessor case (MFL v. TIP) settled March 2019. Affiliate disclosures: Arby's and Dunkin' no-poach settlements listed as affiliate matters only.
Disclosure signals that moved the score
How this shows up in the verdict
- Active litigation with Taylor Investment Partners II involving breach of contract and nonrenewal claims suggests franchisor-franchisee relationship deterioration
- 20-year term is lengthy commitment with litigation precedent showing disputes over renewal rights
- Trademark infringement claims in litigation indicate potential brand protection issues affecting franchisee value
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?