A group of almost 200 franchisees of Wallingford-based Edible Arrangements can sue the company, a federal judge has ruled.
The franchisees say the company, whose business model is designing cut fruit to look like flower arrangements, has changed business agreements and implemented mandates in an unfair and uneven way.
Judge Warren W. Eginton of U.S. District Court in Bridgeport ruled Tuesday that the EA Independent Franchisee Association could proceed in court on all of its claims. The lawsuit was filed in September 2010.
Edible Arrangements had sought to dismiss the case, saying the association didn't have standing to sue on behalf of the franchisees, and that the franchisees had signed agreements to arbitrate disputes rather than take court action.
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