Does the Belocal agreement consider each covenant as independent of other covenants or provisions?

According to Belocal's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, each covenant within the franchise agreement is designed to be independent of other covenants or provisions. This means that if one part of the agreement is found to be unenforceable, it does not automatically invalidate the rest of the agreement. This is a fairly standard clause in franchise agreements.

This independence clause is important for both Belocal and its franchisees. For Belocal, it ensures that the entire agreement doesn't collapse if one clause is successfully challenged. For the franchisee, it means that even if they successfully dispute one aspect of the agreement, they must still adhere to the remaining terms. This provides a level of legal certainty for both parties.

The FDD also states that if a portion of a covenant is deemed unreasonable or unenforceable by a court, the franchisee is still bound by any lesser covenant within the terms that imposes the maximum duty permitted by law. This ensures that the franchisee is held to the greatest extent of the original obligation that is legally enforceable. This clause further protects Belocal's interests by ensuring some level of compliance even if the original covenant is partially invalidated.