Frantz Ward’s Beer, Wine & Spirits Group represents industry participants of all sizes, from startup craft breweries to the industry’s largest players.
Our team has extensive experience with the Ohio three-tier distribution system and the Ohio Alcoholic Beverages Franchise Act. Our attorneys handle cases under the Franchise Act at both the trial and appellate levels, including the Supreme Court of Ohio and the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit.
Our team assists clients with:
- Franchise Act issues
- Distribution agreements
- Obtaining and transferring liquor permits
- Corporate structure and formation issues
- Intellectual property protection
- Insurance and liability issues
- Zoning, leases and other real estate issues
- Employment issues
Our Group guides clients through regulatory compliance, including Alcohol Tax and Trade Bureau regulations and Ohio Department of Commerce Division of Liquor Control regulations.
Representative Matters
- Successfully represented a very large California-based winery in a dispute over the diminished value of a distributor’s business as a result of a termination of the distributor’s franchise.
- Successfully represented a large brewer in the first Ohio case to litigate diminished value under the Ohio Alcoholic Beverages Franchise Act.
- Successfully represented an international winery in a jury trial in which a terminated distributor challenged its cause of termination under the Ohio Alcoholic Beverages Franchise Act in a jury trial.
- Successfully represented an international brewer in an action brought by two wholesale distributors challenging their termination under the Ohio Alcoholic Beverages Franchise Act.
- Counseled numerous clients in obtaining TTB Brewer’s Notices, Basic Permits, and State permits to manufacture beer, wine, and spirits.
- Obtained zoning variance to allow for a new brewery and taproom.
- Negotiated lease and construction contracts to accommodate the expansion of the brewer’s business.
- Serve as counsel to the Ohio Craft Brewer’s Association.
