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TORONTO — A group of Tim Hortons’ franchisees in the U.S. is taking parent company Restaurant Brands International to court, following in the footsteps of unhappy Canadian franchisees who have done the same.

The U.S. chapter of the Great White North Franchisee Association has filed suit in Miami, Fla. over a contract clause that they say forces all litigation between franchisees and their parent company to be handled in a federal court in Florida rather than disputing them in the states where the restaurant owners are based.

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The suit will serve as a precursor to a broader franchisee lawsuit, the franchisees’ lawyer says, that alleges RBI has misused money from a franchisee advertising fund in order to defray its own overhead expenses and squeezed franchisee profits by artificially inflating the price of commodities that franchisees are required to buy from head office.

Last year, the corresponding group of Canadian franchisees filed two class action lawsuits against their parent company, alleging misuse of the ad fund and harassment and intimidation from head office. Both actions have yet to receive court certification.