What organization administers the arbitration for All Dogs Unleashed disputes?
All_Dogs_Unleashed Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
19.3. Arbitration.
- 19.3.1. Any dispute, controversy, or claim between the parties or their respective Affiliates or Owners including, without limitation, claims arising out of or relating to this Agreement and the relationships created hereby that are not solved during the mediation process described in Section 19.2 must be resolved by arbitration. The arbitration must be administered in accordance with the Commercial Rules of the AAA. The Arbitrator must be a person experienced in food service franchising or franchise law who has no prior business or professional relationship with either party. All matters relating to arbitration will be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act (9 U.S.C. §§ 1 et seq.) ("FAA"). Judgment upon the arbitrator's award may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction, and the arbitrator must state in writing the reasoning upon which the award is based. The costs and expenses of arbitration paid to the AAA or to the arbitrator will be paid equally by the parties. All other arbitration-related expenses, including but not limited to attorneys' fees and travel expenses, will be paid by the party which incurred such expense.
- 19.3.2. Arbitration will be conducted in the city in which Franchisor maintains its principal business office at the time of the arbitration. Arbitration will be conducted on an individual, not a class-wide basis, and an arbitration proceeding between the parties and their respective Owners, officers, directors, agents, and/or employees may not be consolidated with any other arbitration proceeding between Franchisor and any other person. The arbitrator has no power or authority to award punitive damages.
- 19.3.3. Any disputes concerning the enforceability or scope of this arbitration provision must be
Source: Item 23 — RECEIPTS (FDD pages 49–158)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to All Dogs Unleashed's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, any dispute that is not solved during mediation must be resolved by arbitration, and this arbitration must be administered in accordance with the Commercial Rules of the AAA (American Arbitration Association). The arbitrator selected must have experience in food service franchising or franchise law and have no prior business or professional relationship with either party involved in the dispute.
The document specifies that all matters relating to arbitration will be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA). The arbitrator's award can be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction, and the arbitrator is required to provide written reasoning for their award. The costs and expenses of arbitration paid to the AAA or to the arbitrator will be equally split between the parties, while other arbitration-related expenses, such as attorneys' fees and travel expenses, will be paid by the party that incurred them.
Arbitration will take place in the city where All Dogs Unleashed maintains its principal business office at the time of the arbitration. The document emphasizes that arbitration will be conducted on an individual basis and cannot be consolidated with any other arbitration proceeding involving All Dogs Unleashed and another person. Furthermore, the arbitrator does not have the authority to award punitive damages. Any disputes regarding the enforceability or scope of the arbitration provision will be resolved under the FAA, which preempts any state law restrictions on the enforcement of this provision.