A nationwide class action against two US units of BP plc has been filed by law firms SeegerWeiss LLP and Lee Tran & Liang, APLC. The lawsuit was lodged this month with the District Court for Northern California on behalf of franchise holders of BP and ARCO gas stations and AM/PM convenience store.
The case centers on a requirement by BP that the franchisees install a new centralized point of sale computer system, developed by co-defendant Retalix. This, according to the claimants, was ‘defective,’ and resulted in ‘substantial damages’ to the franchisees in terms of lost time, lost revenue and inaccurate inventory. The plaintiffs also claim that BP ‘illegally manipulated gas supply,’ exercised ‘improper control of pricing’ and that BP operated a policy of forcing sale of items and collection of fees for which Plaintiffs receive no compensation.’
The ‘proposed class’ for this comprises some 1,600 franchised BP and ARCO gas stations and AM/PM stores across the country. The Service Station Franchise Association has been assisting the plaintiffs. More from www.oilit.com/links/1105_4 (SeegerWeiss) and www.oilit.com/links/1105_5 (LT&L).
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