Conflict between Franshisers and Franchises is typical of the franchise business. It happens within even the largest companies, despite good faith on all sides. Such a dispute in my company spilled over into the press and eventually into the courts. 25 counts of fraud were brought against me, as well as innocent members of my staff unfortunate to be caught up in this matter.
A simple Google or Yahoo search for my name will produce hundreds of articles about these events. What none of these articles report is that every single charge against me was thrown out of court at the preliminary hearing. Not for lack of evidence. For lack of guilt.
Unfortunately, this bad publicity proved fatal to our company – which had been one of the most successful pizza franchising businesses in Canadian history. Thousands of people lost their jobs and hundreds were ruined in the wake of the disaster.
Gautam Malik and Jianhua Gua
Many of these articles are based upon interviews with the same key players. Two favorite media personalities are Gautam Malik and Jianhua Gua. These names come up time and time again because the two of them (along with Gautam's wife, Nidhi Malik) continue to actively solicit press support for their tale -- telling it over and over and over again.The nature of the dispute between Gautam Malik and my company is quite different from the claims made in many press reports. In these articles, it is often claimed that the Maliks did not possess a lease or that I was somehow failing to make rent payments on their behalf. Neither is true, and I retain all the paper-work (contracts, invoices and receipts) to show this to be the case (though no reporter has contacted me for comment).
Ironically, it was bad press that prompted the dispute between Gautam Malik and my franchising company. In the wake of this bad publicity, the Maliks feared for the safety of their investment. That fear was quite reasonable. Unfortunately, they sought to walk away from their contractual obligations without penalty though their deposit had long ago been spent securing their store. It was not in my power to do as they demanded.
The facts concerning Jianhua Gua diverge even further from the story often repeated in the papers. Rather than argue the point in a single blog posting, I've written a detailed synopsis of the situation and placed it in a permanent archive online. Those interested in the real story, I invite to consult the information I have made available there. Also available is a more detailed account concerning the dispute with Gautam Malik and Nidhi Malik.
Once I would have thought talking to all sides an essential part of basic reporting. I am no longer so naive. Experience has taught me that in journalism, facts are never allowed to interfere with a good story – and the best stories must always have a compelling villain. The press decided on my guilt and cast me in the role of villain without once soliciting my side of the story.
For more information, see AnthonysFranchiseFACTS.com.
