What criminal convictions can lead to immediate termination of the Aira Fitness franchise agreement?
Aira_Fitness Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
In the event any of the following defaults occurs, you will have no right or opportunity to cure the default and this Agreement will terminate effective immediately on our issuance of written notice of termination: (i) you have failed to identify a mutually acceptable site for the operation of the Aira Fitness Business or to open the Aira Fitness Business for business within the time period provided by this Agreement; (ii) you or any Owner has made any material misrepresentation or omission in your franchise application or any other report to us; (iii) your voluntary abandonment of this Agreement or the Authorized Location, (iv) the loss of your lease, or the failure to timely cure a default under the lease, (v) the loss of your right of possession or failure to reopen or relocate under Section 5.G.; (vi) the closing of the Aira Fitness Business by any state or local authorities for health or public safety reasons; (vii) any unauthorized use of the Confidential Information; (viii) voluntary or involuntary bankruptcy by or against you or any Owner or guarantor, insolvency, making an assignment for the benefit of creditors or any similar voluntary or involuntary arrangement for the disposition of assets for the benefit of creditors; (ix) conviction of you, any Owners, or guarantors of (or pleading no contest to) any felony or misdemeanor that brings or tends to bring any of the Marks into disrepute or impairs or tends to impair your reputation or the goodwill of the Marks or the Aira Fitness Business, (x) you, any Owner, guarantor or an affiliate of any of you are listed by the United States or United Nations as being a terrorist, financier of terrorism or otherwise restricted from doing business in or with the United States; (xi) intentionally underreport membership sales or Gross Sales, falsify financial data, or otherwise commit an act of fraud with respect to your acquisition of this franchise or your rights or obligations under this Agreement, or any understatement or 2% variance on a subsequent audit within a two- year period under Section 10.C., (xii) any unauthorized transfer or assignment in violation of Section 12; (xiii) your failure to use the approved payment processor, (xiv) you failed to meet the Minimum Membership Requirement for six (6) consecutive months, (xv) you failed to meet the Minimum Monthly Gross Sales Requirement for six (6) consecutive months, or *(xv)*any default by you that is the second same or similar default within any 12 month consecutive period or the third default of any type within any 24-month consecutive period.
Source: Item 23 — **RECEIPTS (FDD pages 59–254)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Aira Fitness's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, a conviction of certain crimes can lead to the immediate termination of the franchise agreement without an opportunity to cure the default. Specifically, if the franchisee, any owner, or any guarantor is convicted of (or pleads no contest to) any felony or misdemeanor that brings or tends to bring any of the Aira Fitness marks into disrepute, or impairs or tends to impair the franchisee's reputation or the goodwill of the marks or the Aira Fitness Business, it can trigger immediate termination.
This provision is fairly standard in franchise agreements, as franchisors need to protect their brand's reputation. The determination of whether a particular crime brings the marks into disrepute is subjective and could be a point of contention. A prospective Aira Fitness franchisee should carefully consider this clause and seek legal advice to understand their rights and obligations.
It is important to note that the FDD specifies that pleading no contest to such a crime has the same effect as a conviction. This means that even if the franchisee does not admit guilt, the franchise can still be terminated if the plea has a negative impact on the Aira Fitness brand. This highlights the importance of ensuring that all owners and guarantors maintain a clean criminal record and avoid any actions that could damage the reputation of the franchise.