Any offer or sale of a franchise that meets all of the following requirements shall be exempt from Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 31110):
(a) Each and every purchaser of the franchise is one of the following:
(1) Any partner, executive officer, or director of the franchisor, or any executive officer of its corporate general partner if the franchisor is a partnership, or any manager if the franchisor is a limited liability company.
(2) Any entity with total assets exceeding five million dollars ($5,000,000) according to its most recent financial statements and not specifically formed for the purpose of acquiring the franchise offered. For purposes of this section, “entity” shall mean an organization described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, a corporation, Massachusetts or similar business trust, limited liability company, or partnership. The financial statements referred to in this paragraph shall meet both of the following requirements:
(A) Be as of date not more than 90 days prior to the earlier of either the date on which the first prospective purchaser signs any binding franchise or other agreement with the franchisor in connection with the award of the franchise, or the date on which the franchisor receives any consideration from the first prospective purchaser in connection with the award of the franchise.
(B) Be prepared in accordance with either of the following:
(i) Generally accepted accounting principles and, if the entity has consolidated subsidiaries, on a consolidated basis.
(ii) The rules and requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission, whether or not required by law to be prepared in accordance with those rules and requirements.
(3) Any natural person whose net worth, or joint net worth with that person’s spouse, exceeds one million dollars ($1,000,000) at the time of his or her purchase of the franchise, excluding the value of that person’s personal residence, any and all retirement or pension plan accounts or benefits, home furnishings, and automobiles.
(4) Any natural person whose gross income exceeds three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) per year in each of the two most recent years, or whose joint gross income with that person’s spouse exceeds five hundred thousand dollars ($500,000) per year in each of those years, and who reasonably expects to reach the same income level in the current year.
(5) Any entity, in which all of the equity owners are persons or entities described in either paragraph (1), (2), (3), or (4).
(b) Each and every purchaser of the franchise has knowledge and experience in financial and business matters, either alone or with professional advisers of the purchaser who are unaffiliated with, and not directly or indirectly compensated by, the franchisor or an affiliate or selling agent of the franchisor, such that the franchisor reasonably believes, based on reasonable inquiry before the sale, that each and every purchaser has the capacity to evaluate the merits and risks of, and protect their own interests in, the franchise investment.
(c) Each and every purchaser of the franchise purchases the franchise for the purchaser’s own account, or a trust account if the purchaser is a trustee, for the purpose of conducting the business as a franchise and not with a view to, or for a sale in connection with, any resale or distribution of the franchise or any interest in the franchise.
(d) The immediate cash payment required from a purchaser of the franchise who is a natural person, upon the purchase of the franchise, shall not exceed 10 percent of that person’s net worth or joint net worth with that person’s spouse, exclusive of that person’s personal residence, any and all retirement or pension accounts or benefits, home furnishings and automobiles.
(e) The franchisor files with the commissioner a notice of exemption and pays the fee prescribed in subdivision (f) of Section 31500 prior to any offer or sale of a franchise in this state for which the exemption is claimed during any calendar year in which one or more franchises are sold, excluding any material modification.
(f) No franchisor or any of its officers, directors, employees, or agents shall form, organize, engage, or assist any person to purchase a franchise for resale or distribution to avoid the registration requirements of Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 31110).
(Added by Stats. 2004, Ch. 458, Sec. 3. Effective September 10, 2004. Operative January 1, 2005, by Sec. 19 of Ch. 458.)