Dunkin’ Chief Legal Counsel Steve Horn Is Out
October 9, 2009 by Jim Coen
Filed under Brand News, Top Story
Steve Horn
Janet Sparks reports at BlueMauMau that following much turmoil and bad press over its legal team’s aggressive tactics against franchisees, Dunkin’ Brands CEO Nigel Travis has just announced the latest in his reorganization of corporate executives, stating that the company’s controversial chief legal counsel Stephen Horn is leaving to pursue new opportunities. His email letter to franchise operators reads,
Dear Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins Franchisees,
After 10 years with Dunkin’ Brands, Steve Horn has decided to take this opportunity to announce his intent to leave the company. Steve has communicated that he will pursue new opportunities including his passion for writing. A well known author, Steve has had significant success with his two previous novels and has decided that this is the time for him to start the third. At our request, Steve had agreed to stay on working with myself on special projects until the end of December.
Steve has always striven to act in the best interests of our brands, our franchisees’ investment in those brands, our customers and the thousands of employees in our restaurants who work so hard to serve these customers. We appreciate Steve’s integrity, his total dedication to the company and his many years of service.
On an interim basis and effective immediately, Arthur Anastos, director and managing counsel, will assume management of the legal department.
We plan to quickly recruit an experienced general counsel from the outside. With that hiring of a new general counsel, we will have finalized our Dunkin’ Brands leadership team.
I look forward to discussing the new organization with you and our exciting plans for the future at the upcoming RAC meetings and as I visit markets around the country.
Thank you for your support,
Nigel Travis
Dunkin’ Brands CEO and Dunkin’ Donuts President
Robert Zarco, Zarco, Einhorn, Salkowski & Brito, representing a number of franchisees, recently affirmed that the franchisor’s “loss prevention” department headed up by Horn has been turning its lawsuits against operators into a major “profit center.” In hearing today’s announcement, Zarco stated, “I believe these draconian tactics have caught up with Steve Horn. He has been a bully for years.”
Zarco also feels that the franchisees uniting into an association has demonstrated the force and strength it can have with a franchisor. He said, “It’s only because the franchisees got together that they were able to effectuate this kind of impact and resolve. My hat goes off to them.” But he added, And, congratulations to the board of directors of Dunkin’ Brands for making what I am sure was a very difficult but appropriate decision, which has been long overdue.”
Read more at: BlueMauMau
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Congratulations and thank you DDIFO.
You deserve credit for bringing to public what everybody in the system knew existed but were afraid to talk about it.
What you did is proof that franchisee associations can make a difference. I have supported DDIFO for many years I will continue to do so.
If you are not a member JOIN DDIFO!
DDIFO will prevent this from happening to us again!
Thank You from the bottom of my heart.
I am a member for life!
Give me a D
Give me a D
Give me an I
Give me a F
Give me a O
What does that spell: DDIFO
The sad part about this is it comes too late to help the franchisees such as myself wrongly closed due to his draconian tactics.
A real positive gesture on DD’s part would be to help those of us darkend to salvage our life by doing the right thing.
It would be nice if they would right his wrongs.
If they do this then we know they have truely changed.
I wonder if Horn’s next novel will be based on his time at DD posibilities are endless.
Although, I for one won’t be buying it I,ve helped DD lawyers earn enough money already.
Ding Dong! The Witch is dead.
Which old Witch? The Wicked Witch!
Ding Dong! The Wicked Witch is dead.
Wake up – sleepy head, rub your eyes, get out of bed.
Wake up, the Wicked Witch is dead.
She’s gone where the goblins go, Below – below – below.
Yo-ho, let’s open up and sing and ring the bells out.
Ding Dong’ the merry-oh, sing it high, sing it low.
Let them know
The Wicked Witch is dead!
Now we can operate our stores more efficiently & profitable due to less stress and peace of mind.
GOD BLESS YOU ZARCO FOR ALL YOUR EFFORTS TO SAVE OUR LIFE !!!!!!!!!!!!!
what a great news its amazing the karma this man has committed he has so many hardworking people suffer he has split families destroyed so many people investments and life ,,,,,,he sure has a miserable death,,,,,
I heard that over 20 “burn & churn” cases have been dropped in the last week alone.
Horn was the biggest thief!
He robbed franchisees of tens of millions of dollars!
Is now the time that Dunkin Brands reaches out to us as partners to repair the breaches created by treating us like targets and less than employees? I for one hope so. There is too much money to be made out there for us not to act like the partners that we need to be.
One can only wonder how much money the legal extortion approach cost Dunkin Brands because of the expansion it scared off, both from existing franchisees not wanting to risk more money being taken from them in a new market and potential new investors who could easily find much safer brands to partner with.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if DDIFO could endorse a fair and balanced franchise agreement and recommend to people who inquire about becoming franchisees that this is a great place to invest? I sure hope that this day is quickly approaching.
Oh, and if the Dunkin Brands wants March Systems, the last 10 years would tell anone theya re crazy to install it unless there is a contract that says DUnkin Brands will not be spying on you with it and cannot use any video against you.