Terry R. Beachler, Randall A. Greene, Wayne T. Neal v. Amoco Oil Company, Johnson Oil Company, and Smith Oil Company of Kankakee

ILANA DIAMOND ROVNER, Circuit Judge.

The plaintiffs in this action under the Petroleum Marketing Practices Act (“PMPA”), 15 U.S.C. §§ 2801 et seq., are six individuals who operate gasoline service stations in Peoria and Springfield, Illinois pursuant to franchise agreements with Amoco Oil Company (“Amoco”). In July of last year, Amoco announced its intention to assign its agreements with these Peoria and Springfield dealers to two of its wholesale distributors and then to sell the underlying station properties to those distributors as well. The plaintiff dealers responded by filing the instant…