Structuring a franchise to reduce risk of joint employment and vicarious liability means limiting a franchisor's control over franchisees. This is a challenge in a professional services franchise, where the brand is intertwined with the franchisee's personnel and the end product.

A California federal court held that a franchisee's former customer sufficiently alleged claims that tax preparation franchisor Jackson Hewitt exercised sufficient control over processing of tax returns to be vicariously liable for fraudulent conduct of a franchisee's rogue employee. The franchisor must also face claims of making fraudulent statements about accuracy of its tax preparation services.

The customer claimed the franchisee manipulated his tax returns to get a larger refund, and kept part of the refund as fees, without the customer's knowledge. In a prior ruling, the Court found the franchisor's controls were typical of a franchise relationship, and that control over certain aspects of a franchisee's operations was insufficient to create vicarious liability. This time, the customer alleged that Jackson Hewitt controlled the instrumentality of the harm by hiring and training tax preparers, and reviewing, approving and submitting tax returns to the IRS through the franchisor's proprietary and mandatory computer system. The Court was persuaded by allegations that the franchisor's "Code of Conduct" referred to the reader as an "employee" of Jackson Hewitt (not of the specific franchisee), mandated background checks and training programs to prevent preparation of fraudulent returns, and set parameters for termination of franchisee employees for failure to comply with system requirements.

Jackson Hewitt was also alleged to have made fraudulent ads touting 100% accurate returns, comparison to mom and pop tax preparers, and the "Preparer's Pledge" to handle a customer's tax return like their own. The Court said the purpose of the ads was to engender trust in potential customers, so they would hire Jackson Hewitt and its franchisees to prepare their taxes.

A professional services franchisor should be cautious in preparing training materials and manuals to delineate no more supervision than needed over franchisee personnel, to protect the franchisor's brand and intellectual property while trying to reduce the risk of vicarious liability for acts of a franchisee's employees.

Read: Lomeli v. Jackson Hewitt, Inc.