UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS
DALLAS DIVISION
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
Plaintiff,
vs.
QX INTERNATIONAL, INC., a corporation, and ANTHONY F. FRANCIS,
individually and as an officer of the corporation, Defendants.
Civil Action No.
COMPLAINT FOR CIVIL PENALTIES, CONSUMER REDRESS, PERMANENT INJUNCTION
AND OTHER EQUITABLE RELIEF
Plaintiff, the United States of America, acting upon notification and
authorization to the Attorney General by the Federal Trade Commission
("FTC" or "the Commission"), pursuant to Section 16(a)(1) of the
Federal Trade Commission Act ("FTC Act"), 15 U.S.C § 56(a)(1), for its
complaint alleges:
1. Plaintiff brings this action under Sections 5(a)(1), 5(m)(1)(A), 9,
13(b), 16(a) and 19 of the Federal Trade Commission Act, 15 U.S.C.
45(a)(1), 45(m)(1)(A), 49, 53(b), 56(a) and 57b, to secure civil
penalties, consumer redress, a permanent injunction, and other
equitable relief for defendants' unfair or deceptive acts or practices
in violation of Section 5(a) of the FTC Act, 15 U.S.C. § 45(a), and
the FTC's Trade Regulation Rule entitled "Disclosure Requirements and
Prohibitions Concerning Franchising and Business Opportunity Ventures"
("the Franchise Rule" or "the Rule"), 16 C.F.R. Part 436.
JURISDICTION AND VENUE
2. This Court has jurisdiction over this matter pursuant to 28 U.S.C.
§§ 1331, 1337(a), 1345 and 1355 and 15 U.S.C. §§ 45(m)(1)(A), 49,
53(b), 56(a) and 57b. This action arises under 15 U.S.C. § 45(a)(1).
3. Venue in the United States District Court for the Northern District
of Texas is proper under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1391(b) and (c) and 1395(a), and
15 U.S.C. § 53(b).
DEFENDANTS
4. Defendant QX International, Inc. ("QX") was incorporated in Texas
and had its principal place of business at 5750 Rufe Snow Drive, Suite
SNIPPETS:
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF TEXAS
QX INTERNATIONAL, INC., a corporation, and ANTHONY F. FRANCIS, individually and as an officer
COMPLAINT FOR CIVIL PENALTIES, CONSUMER REDRESS, PERMANENT INJUNCTION
AND OTHER EQUITABLE RELIEF
Plaintiff, the United States of America, acting upon notification and authorization to the
Plaintiff brings this action under Sections 5, 5, 9, 13, 16and 19 of the Federal Trade
" ("the Franchise Rule" or "the Rule"), 16 C.F.R. Part 436.
Defendant QX International, Inc. was incorporated in Texas and had its principal place of
QX offered for sale and sold display rack distributorships for automobile engine lubricant
At all times material to this complaint, acting alone or in concert with others, he has
At all times relevant to this complaint, defendants maintained a substantial course of trade
Beginning in at least February 1992, defendants have engaged in a common scheme to promote,
After being contacted by potential distributors and arranging for a face-to-face meeting,
In the course of offering for sale and selling automobile engine lubricant product display
Therefore, defendants' representations as set forth in Paragraph 8 were false and misleading,
In the course of offering for sale and selling automobile engine lubricant product display
THE FRANCHISE RULE
The Franchise Rule requires a franchisor to provide prospective franchisees with a complete
The Franchise Rule additionally requires: that the franchisor possess a reasonable basis for
l basis for the earnings claim and include a warning that the earnings claim is only an estimate,
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