A BP subsidiary has requested the dismissal of a $300 million lawsuit filed by three companies over a terminated truck stop franchise agreement. BP’s unit, TravelCenters of America, contends that the plaintiffs, by their own admission, failed to meet the terms of the agreement, according to court documents filed in the Northern District of Ohio.
BP to dismiss a $300M suit : Franchise Agreement Details and Claims
TA Franchise Systems LLC and TA Operating LLC, both linked to BP subsidiary TravelCenters of America, moved to dismiss the lawsuit brought by DG Gas LLC, DG Cordelle LLC, and DG Real Estate Partners LLC. The plaintiffs argue that the termination of their franchise agreement was unjustified. However, BP asserts that the DG companies failed to fulfill their obligation to open a TA Express Center truck stop in Cordele, Georgia, by the specified deadline of June 3, 2023.
“The crux of all of plaintiffs’ claims is that the opening deadline was not material and, therefore, termination of the franchise agreement was unjustified,” the dismissal motion states. “Plaintiffs construct increasingly farfetched legal theories designed to achieve their desired outcome. But plaintiffs ignore the most fundamental issue, which is dispositive of nearly all their claims: the express contractual terms to which plaintiffs agreed.”
Allegations of Miscommunication and Sudden Termination
In their complaint, the DG companies claim they were unable to meet the initial deadline due to a lack of necessary information from the TravelCenters units. Additionally, they allege that a franchise supervisor from TravelCenters assured them of a deadline extension, which was later retracted after TravelCenters became a BP subsidiary.
