John F. Verhey

John F. Verhey

Partner
About

John Verhey is a commercial litigator who has handled a broad array of cases in state and federal courts involving contracts, securities law, real estate, business torts and trademark infringement.

John has particular experience in litigating cases in the franchise distribution and trade regulation area. His franchise practice is nationwide in scope, and he regularly represents franchisors in federal and state courts throughout the country as well as before arbitration panels.

John has taken more than 40 franchise arbitration cases through hearing to an award. He has also argued a number of appeals involving franchise matters before state and federal appellate courts. John has extensive experience representing franchisors in actions involving breach of contract, encroachment, system standards enforcement, fraud, tortious interference with contract, unfair trade practices, trademark infringement, breach of fiduciary duty, disclosure violations and violations of Little FTC Acts, and state and federal antitrust laws. He also has extensive experience in the judicial enforcement of arbitration agreements and the enforcement and vacatur of arbitration awards.

Bar admissionsIllinois

EXPERIENCE

Selected Reported Franchise Decisions
  • Blimpie International, Inc. v. Butterworth, 2005 WL 756218 (S.D. Ind. 2005)
  • AlphaGraphics, Inc. v. Shapiro, 935 F. Supp. 1012 (N.D. Ill. 1996)
  • Smith v. Blockbuster Entertainment Corp. 100 F.3d 878 (10th Cir. 1996)
  • Gingiss International, Inc. v. Bormet, 58 F.3d 328 (7th Cir. 1995)
  • Bennett Enterprises, Inc. v. Domino's Pizza, Inc., 45 F.3d 493 (DC Cir. 1995)
  • Sheldon v. Munford, Inc., 950 F.2d 403 (7th Cir. 1991)
  • Hengel, Inc. v. Hot ‘N Now, Inc., 825 F. Supp. 1311 (N.D. Ill. 1993)
  • Bonfield v. AAMCO Transmissions, Inc., 717 F. Supp. 589 (N.D. Ill. 1989)
  • Seymour v. Gloria Jean’s Coffee Bean Franchising Corp., 732 F. Supp. 988 (D. Minn. 1990)
Education
  • B.A., Calvin College 1985
  • J.D., Harvard Law School 1988
    Executive Editor, Harvard Law Review
    cum laude

Awards

John has been designated an Illinois Super Lawyer, as the result of research projects conducted jointly by
Law & Politics and Chicago magazines. He was named a Best Lawyer for 2014 in Chicago's Best Lawyers 

magazine. He is also listed in the 2016 edition of The Best Lawyers in America for franchise law and has been selected by his peers as an Illinois Leading Lawyer in the franchise and dealership law category.

Bylines

  • Co-author, "Top Franchise Decisions: Two Standouts From 2015," Intellectual Property and Technology News, 2015
  • Co-author, "Important Decisions in 2014," The Licensing Journal (May 2015)

Seminars

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