Practice Overview

Representative Experience

Franchise Litigation

• Misrepresentation Claims. Susan assists her franchisor clients defend against claims alleging misrepresentation in connection with sales and operation of the franchise. She also has experience working with national franchise brands to limit their exposure to such claims, from drafting compliant financial disclosures to developing internal processes to ensure compliance. 

• Noncompete Agreements. Susan is routinely involved in enforcing franchise agreements’ noncompete terms against current and former franchisees who attempt to take knowledge and experience gained from franchisors and use it to operate their own competing businesses, both domestically and abroad.

• Trademark Infringement Claims. Susan is regularly involved in enforcing the global trademark rights of her franchisor clients, from protecting franchisors when a franchisee fails to de-identify a terminated unit to preventing third-parties from wrongfully using her clients trademarks. 

• Consumer Class Action Claims. Susan assisted in obtaining the prompt dismissal of consumer claims seeking class certification brought by a customer of a national franchisor client.

Franchise & Distribution

• Served as as in-house corporate counsel for Self Esteem Brands, LLC, parent company of Anytime Fitness, LLC. Susan managed all legal aspects of the brand's vendor relationships, franchise sales programs, franchise registration, operations and compliance.

Business Litigation

• Susan assisted her subcontractor client obtain an award of 100 percent of its damages and 100 percent of its attorneys’ fees in a breach of contract dispute between her client and a general contractor.

• Susan routinely works with privately-held corporations and companies to resolve disputes between owners, shareholders or members, including enforcing buy-sell agreements and enforcing or defending statutory claims.

Employment Litigation

• Noncompete and Confidentiality Claims. Susan has enforced noncompete and confidentiality claims on behalf of her employer clients faced with the threat of an employee wrongfully using the employer’s proprietary information in a competitive business. 

• Discrimination Claims. Susan obtained a dismissal at trial of claims of discrimination under the Minnesota Human Rights Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act against a Fortune 500 employer. She has also successfully defended a variety of employer against charges of discrimination filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

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