Surviving the Shutdown – What Every Distributor, Dealer, and Franchisee Needs to Know

Like so many other events that were scheduled for this spring, the first session of Foley’s 29th Annual Law of Product Distribution & Franchise Seminar has been postponed. This fall, we will offer three sessions: in Chicago on September 23, in Dallas on October 6, and in Milwaukee on October 22. In the meantime, we will be offering a webinar series to help distribution and franchise systems first survive and then recover from the pandemic. Our first such webinar, focused on survival for the entire chain of distribution—including the distributors and dealers that sell and service manufacturers’ products and the franchisees that serve franchisors’ retail customers. Attorneys who have been on the front lines helping our clients address this crisis presented information and took your questions on the following topics:

• Small Business Administration Loans Under the CARES Act
• Bankruptcy & Restructuring
• “Force Majeure”—Leases, the Supply Chain & Other Contracts
• Insurance Issues—Tort Claims, “Business Interruption,” Other Related Issues
• State Franchise & Dealer “Relationship” Statutes