Nearly three dozen franchisees who own more than 50 Little Gyms have filed legal action against Unleashed Brands, contending the parent compan…

Unleashed Brands, which owns a handful of family entertainment brands, was sued in May 2022 for terminating a franchise agreement.

For Adam and Charlee Ruben, adding a second youth-centric brand and becoming multi-unit franchisees was an opportunity they simply couldn’t pa…

A second group of franchisees are suing Premier Martial Arts and other defendants claiming "the devastation is already well-known" from the franchisor's alleged actions: "retirement savings obliterated, franchisees suffering from staggering debt, and a host of hard-working individuals and families on the brink of financial ruin."

A group of Premier Martial Arts franchisees is suing Unleashed Brands, its founder Barry Van Over and others. The lawsuit seeks at least $75 million in damages and a jury trial.

An anonymous email with the subject line "Synergy" was sent today in batches to multiple Unleashed Brands franchisees, members of management, independent franchisee associations and others, franchisees who received the emails said. The message claims all six brands under the umbrella are in "pain and agony" and called for Unleashed Brands' "immoral and unethical business practices" to stop.

The franchisee unrest comes amid Unleashed Brands' ambitious growth plans for the individual brands as well as new majority owner Seidler Equity Partners' push to add more youth-focused concepts to the platform.

Barry Van Over spent the past couple of years pondering whether to take private equity investment in his franchise, Premier Martial Arts, as i…