Legacy Academy, Inc. v. Doles-Smith Enterprises, Inc.

Reese, Judge.

This appeal arises from an adverse ruling on Legacy Academy, Inc.'s claim against its franchisee, Doles-Smith Enterprises, Inc. ("DSE"), for unpaid royalty and advertising fees. The trial court conducted a bench trial and ruled that Legacy's claim was barred by the doctrine of res judicata. This appeal followed. For the reasons set forth, infra, we affirm.

Viewed in the light most favorable to the trial court's findings of fact, 1 the evidence shows that Legacy is a franchisor of child daycare centers, and it entered into a 25-year franchise agreement with DSE in November 2006. 2…