Baum v. Grainier Franchise Company, LLC

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS EASTERN DIVISION DIMITRY BAUM and DAZ GLOBAL, LLC, ) ) Plaintiffs, ) ) v. ) ) No. 24 C 151 GRAINIER FRANCHISE COMPANY, LLC, ) GRAINIER HOLDINGS USA, LLC, ) Judge Rebecca R. Pallmeyer LUIS HERNANDEZ, and ) ALEJANDRO MOLANO PARRA, ) ) ) Defendants. ) MEMORANDUM OPINION AND ORDER From late 2021 onward, Plaintiff Dimitry Baum was in negotiations with representatives of the international bakery chain Grainier to open a Grainier franchise in Chicago. Those negotiations broke down in mid-2023—but by then, Baum (on behalf of Plaintiff DAZ…