FDD Items 3 & 4 · 2026 filing

Papa John's Pizza litigation history

What Papa John's Pizza 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: 3; 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

Antitrust class action re no-poach clause (settled, $5M aggregate, partial payment made); former franchisee breach of contract/wrongful termination suit compelled to arbitration (settled for $10,000); pending arbitration by minority shareholder alleging wrongful termination and breach of contract.

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

Litigation cases

The franchisor

Pending (1)

Keshav Ranjan, Kaytee Pizza NY Inc. v Papa John’s Franchising, LLC, Papa John’s International, Inc.
pending
Brought by a franchisee · filed 2025-09-08 · American Arbitration Association · 01-25-0004-5686
“… Case No. 01-25-0004-5686. On September 8, 2025, Keshav Ranjan, a minority shareholder of a Kaytee Pizza NY Inc. (“Kaytee”), a Papa John’s franchisee, filed a demand for arbitration against Papa John’s Franchising, LLC and Papa John’s International, Inc. (collectively “PJI”)”Page 13 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “We continue to deny any liability or wrongdoing in this matter, believe the allegations to be meritless, and are defending vigorously.”

Parent, affiliates, master franchisor and subfranchisor

Pending (1)

In Re Papa John’s Employee and Franchisee Employee Antitrust Litigation
pending
Papa John’s International, Inc. (PJI), printed as 'the Company' · filed 2018 · United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky · 3:18-CV-00825-JHM-RSE
“… United States Dis- trict Court for the Western District of Kentucky, Case No.: 3:18-CV-00825-JHM-RSE. In re Papa John’s Employee & Franchise Employee Antitrust Litigation is a putative class action filed in December 2018 in the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky. The suit alleges”Page 12 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “On April 14, 2022, the parties reached a settlement in principle to resolve the case. Pursuant to the terms of the proposed settlement, in exchange for the Company’s payment of a total aggregate settlement amount of $5.0 million and other non-monetary consideration, all claims in the action will be dismissed”

Concluded (1)

I&R Foods LLC v. Papa John’s International, Inc.
settled
Brought by a franchisee · Papa John’s International, Inc. (PJI), “our parent and predecessor” · filed 2023-08-30 · Superior Court of California, County of Riverside (compelled to arbitration) · CVRI2304549
“… Superior Court of California, County of Riv- erside, Case No. CVRI2304549. On August 30, 2023, I&R Foods LLC (“I&R Foods”), a former Papa Johns franchisee, filed a Complaint against our parent and predecessor, PJI.”Page 13 of the 2026 FDD, Item 3
Outcome: “In March 2025 the parties entered into a confidential settlement agreement and mutual release under which, without admis- sion of wrongdoing, PJI agreed to pay $10,000, and the parties agreed to mutual releases and dismissal of all claims in arbitration.”

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.

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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