North Coast Hopes California Law Will Apply in Suit with Crescent Crown

Dear Client: The latest big franchise law dispute is the year-long battle between Fort Bragg, California-based North Coast Brewing Company, and Arizona's Crescent Crown. As North Coast sales manager Dennis Keller tells it, there is a "difference of business philosophy" between North Coast and Crescent Crown, which became evident when North Coast's Arizona business fell below its distribution in Utah, a state where North Coast doesn't even sell kegs. North Coast has a conditional agreement to transfer distribution of its