Liability accountant for prepared prognosis?
In a judgment of the Court of Appeal of ‘s-Hertogenbosch of 11 July 2017, ECLI:NL:GHSHE:2017:3153, it was discussed that franchisees accused the franchisor’s accountant of being liable for an unsatisfactory forecast.
The court has appointed an expert. The expert has come to the conclusion that the prognosis is understandable and has been drawn up in accordance with the usual working method. The expert also pointed out that differences between the forecast and the actual figures are limited. Furthermore, the expert pointed out some shortcomings of the fact that the conflict of interest has not been recorded and some shortcomings are not such that the prognosis would be unreliable.
In line with this, the Court of Appeal ruled that the accountant acted as may be expected from a reasonable acting and reasonably competent accountant.
The question of whether the prognosis is sound is assessed by the Court of Appeal on the basis of the standard for professional liability. Liability of a franchisor for a faulty forecast could also be assessed by whether the franchisor acted as would be expected of a reasonable and reasonably competent franchisor in recruiting franchisees.
mr. AW Dolphijn – Franchise lawyer
Ludwig & Van Dam Franchise attorneys, franchise legal advice. Do you want to respond? Go to dolphijn@ludwigvandam.nl .
Other messages
Know-how and identity protection
One of the most essential parts of a franchise formula is
Internet sales in a franchise relationship
Internet sales are also enjoying increasing interest in conventional franchise circles.
What role does the franchisor play in the sale of a franchise business?
When a franchisee is thinking about selling his business, it is advisable
Litigation costs order
There is often a misconception about the reimbursement of legal costs
Franchisor in trouble, what to do?
It seems inevitable that the world is heading for a recession.
The bankrupt franchisor
In the penultimate contribution to this column, the phenomenon “Franchisor in difficulties, what to do?” discussed.