Nixon Peabody reports on a recent case, Atlantis Petroleum, LLC v. Getty Petroleum Marketing, Inc. where the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania ruled on franchisor motive and intent in the decision to terminate a franchise. This decision provided a  bright-line test for evaluating when issues such as motive are relevant. (A bright-line test is a clearly defined rule or standard, generally used in law, composed of objective factors, which leaves little or no room for varying interpretation. This test is to produce consistent results in its application. )

The case was based on a deal in which Atlantis assumed operating responsibilities for 75 service stations under a Distributor Agreement (DA) with Getty, Read more