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Insurance, Indemnification and the Franchise Relationship: How to Make 'Belt and Suspenders' Work for Your Business

By Andrew S. Wein

Contractual relationships create situations involving the transfer of risk among parties, and franchise relationships are no exception. Typically, the parties to a franchise agreement will rely on two different methods to apportion risk and provide themselves with protection: insurance and indemnification. Often referred to by the metaphor, “belt and suspenders,” the idea is to have two separate avenues of protection, and therefore to be doubly protected in the event of a loss or claim. But unless one is aware of the potential pitfalls, even so-called “iron-clad” indemnification clauses or insurance provisions in a franchise agreement can be all for naught.

This article discusses the interplay between insurance, indemnification, and the default common-law rules, so that franchisors and franchisees can avoid those dangerous pitfalls.

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