DonutNV Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) 2026 – Revelations & Confirmations
The embattled mini-donut franchise seller has filed its Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) in a single registration state (Wisconsin). We’ve got it… and we’re posting it here for free download and discussion. by Sean Kelly, Founder, Franchise Truth for Veterans, Defendant, DonutNV Franchising Inc. v. UnhappyFranchisee.Com, Relentless, Inc. and, yours truly, Sean Kelly.
(UnhappyFranchisee.Com) I’m publishing this on Day 595 of a defamation lawsuit filed against me and the UnhappyFranchisee.Com website by the steadily declining franchise seller DonutNV Franchising Inc.
DonutNV Franchising Inc. was founded by Alex “Alexander” Gingold and Amanda Victoria Scott Gingold.
While they entered the franchise industry (that I’ve been a part of for 37 years) appearing to be a clean-cut, kids-next-door entrepreneurial success story, they have, in my opinion, offered themselves up as one of the franchise industry’s most dramatic – and darkly comedic at times – cautionary tales.
DonutNV Gets Creative With Its Franchise Disclosure Document
Despite their efforts to downplay their many failures and mounting legal disputes, as well as blatant efforts (in my non-attorney opinion) to keep prospective franchisees from accessing material and required disclosures, the 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) uploaded to the Wisconsin franchise registration portal by Gross Law attorney Travis Tarpeh on 09/01/2026 at 08:10:57 provides official admissions and displays some telling omissions we list below.
- ITEM 3 Litigation Disclosed: Franchisee Group Arbitration Demand
- ITEM 3 Litigation Disclosed: DNV’s 13 Lawsuits Against Franchisees
- ITEM 3 Litigation NOT Disclosed: UnhappyFranchisee.Com Defamation Lawsuit & Counterclaim
- Financial Statements: Legal Expenditures $2.34M (vs Marketing $404K, Payroll $812K)
- ITEM 20: Franchise Turnover Rate: 82%
- ITEM 20: Franchises Sold Not Open: 0
- ITEM 20: A Number of Franchisees Listed as Active Have Exited
- Franchise Registrations (Other than WI): 0
- Current Franchisee List: Incomplete Contact Information
- Former Franchisee List: Incomplete Contact Information
- Registration Filed by Travis Tarpeh, Gross Law (Previously Spadea Law)
Scroll down for more details.
Enjoy this free download and let us know what stands out to you:
DonutNV Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD)
Some Early Observations RE: The DonutNV 2026 FDD
Item 3: Litigation
Franchisee litigation and arbitration disclosures have skyrocketed.
Previous FDDs listed 0 arbitration. The DonutNV 2026 FDD includes this disclosure:
On May 18, 2026, certain current and former franchisees, franchisee-affiliated entities, and related owners or guarantors filed an arbitration demand titled Crawford Sales & Marketing, LLC, et al. v. DonutNV Franchising, Inc., Alex Gingold, and Amanda Gingold, AAA Case No. 01-26-0001-7533, before the American Arbitration Association.
The opposing parties are franchisees, former franchisees, franchisee-affiliated entities, and/or owners or guarantors of franchisee-affiliated entities. The demand alleges claims arising from the offer, sale, and operation of DonutNV franchises, including alleged disclosure, representation, training, support, operations, and damages issues. The claimants seek monetary and other relief. DonutNV denies liability and intends to defend the matter vigorously. The arbitration is pending.
The disclosure text does not mention that the group demanding arbitration is estimated at 28 franchisees – a significant percentage of franchise investors. It also fails to provide details of the franchisees’ allegations, which can be read here: DonutNV Franchisees Cry Fraud, File Demand for Arbitration
While the 2024 and 2025 FDDs showed 0 litigation and 0 arbitration, the 2026 DonutNV Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) lists 13 federal and state lawsuits filed against its own franchisees, including:
Franchisor-Initiated Release and Contract Enforcement Actions.
In May and June 2026, DonutNV filed related civil actions in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Ocala Division, and in the Circuit Court of the Fifth Judicial Circuit in and for Lake County, Florida, against certain franchisees, former franchisees, franchisee-affiliated entities, and related owners or guarantors who DonutNV contends are bound by releases, covenants not to sue, advancement obligations, stipulated-injunction provisions, arbitration provisions, individual-action requirements, class-waiver provisions, and other contractual restrictions.
The opposing parties are franchisees, former franchisees, franchisee-affiliated entities, and/or owners or guarantors of franchisee-affiliated entities. DonutNV seeks declaratory relief, injunctive relief, advancement or reimbursement of expenses, damages, attorneys’ fees, and costs. These actions are pending, and no judgment has been entered.
The federal actions are:
DonutNV Franchising, Inc. v. Crawford Sales & Marketing LLC, James Crawford, and Estela Crawford, Case No. 5:26-cv-00369;
DonutNV Franchising, Inc. v. Austenite 1250, LLC and Michael Sadler, Case No. 5:26-cv-00370;
DonutNV Franchising, Inc. v. DAM Brothers LLC, Nicholas A. Fleming, and Elizabeth A. Fleming, Case No. 5:26-cv-00371;
DonutNV Franchising, Inc. v. Dropping Donuts, LLC, Matthew Lee Hughey, and Tanya R. Hughey, Case No. 5:26-cv-00372;
DonutNV Franchising, Inc. v. Eleven Nine LLC and Angela Hanson, Case No. 5:26-cv-00373;
DonutNV Franchising, Inc. v. Garza Donuts LLC, Christian Garza, and Juanita Yazmin Garza, Case No. 5:26-cv-00374;
DonutNV Franchising, Inc. v. Karly Thompson Ventures LLC, Karly Thompson, and Malcolm Thompson III, Case No. 5:26-cv-
00375;
DonutNV Franchising, Inc. v. LBC Donuts LLC, Daniel Cook, and Cindy Cook, Case No. 5:26-cv-00376;
DonutNV Franchising, Inc. v. Lookout Mountain Enterprise, LLC, Doies Lee Alford III, and Kayla Alford, Case No. 5:26-cv-00377;
DonutNV Franchising, Inc. v. Purple Circles Inc. and Matthew S. Furman, Case No. 5:26-cv-00378; DonutNV Franchising,
Inc. v. RSP Ventures Inc. and Rebecca R. Pyles, Case No. 5:26-cv-00379;
DonutNV Franchising, Inc. v. Thompson Donuts, Inc., Zachary Thompson, and Michaela Thompson, Case No. 5:26-cv-00380.
The state-court action is:
DonutNV Franchising, Inc. v. Concessions By J and K LLC, John JW Wayne McNeal, and Kimberly Sluss McNeal, Case No. 35-2026-CA-001300-AXXX-01, Circuit Court of the Fifth Judicial Circuit in and for Lake County, Florida.
Item 3: Missing DonutNV Litigation
The FTC Franchise Rule requires franchise sellers to disclose “material” litigation or civil actions in Item 3.
Material litigation, in this context, is one that is “likely to influence a prospective franchisee’s investment decision.”
According to the FTC Franchise Rule Compliance Guide:
“…the franchisor must disclose whether it, any related entity… has been involved in any pending civil lawsuits, ‘other than ordinary routine litigation incidental to the business, which are material in the context of the number of franchisees and the size, nature, or financial condition of the franchise system or its business operations.’
FTC Franchise Rule Compliance Guide
While it’s a matter for the FTC, NASAA and state examiners, it seems to me (a non-lawyer defendant) that a lawsuit involving DonutNV franchisee opinions and experiences. On or around February 3, 2025, DonutNV filed the lawsuit titled: IN THE COURT OF COMMON PLEAS FOR LANCASTER COUNTY, Case No. CI-25-00737, DONUTNV FRANCHISING, INC., Plaintiff v. RELENTLESS, INC. AND SEAN KELLY, Defendants.
Defendants’ Counterclaim against DonutNV Franchising Inc. was filed April 4, 2025.
The litigation is active and ongoing.
DonutNV Legal & Professional Fees Dwarf Payroll (Support) & Marketing Expenditures
“To a man with a hammer, every problem looks like a nail”
During this period, DonutNV supported three law firms but no dedicated Public Relations firm.
The DonutNV 2026 FDD Exhibit D (Financial Statements) reveals the following:
The litigation against UnhappyFranchisee.Com and blogger Sean Kelly has already cost DonutNV Franchising Inc. an estimated $175,000 – $290,000+ in legal fees and expenses, and could reach $900,00 – $1.2M if litigation continues through trial and appeal.
DonutNV Franchisee Exits & Turnover Reach New High
Using the company’s own disclosed numbers, DonutNV has a three year franchise turnover rate of 82%.
According to Item 20 disclosures by DonutNV Franchising Inc., there were an average of 79 franchises operating in the years 2023 – 2025. During that period, 65 franchises exited the system through termination (8), Transfers (40), Reacquisitions (5) and ceased operations (12).
DonutNV Franchise Sales Pipeline (SNO) is Empty
In Item 20 of its FDD, DonutNV also disclosed that it had 0 Franchise Agreements Signed But Outlets Not Opened (SNO in industry parlance) but projected 13 new franchised outlets in 2026. At the end of 2024, DonutNV had projected only 1 new franchise in 2025.
A Number of Franchisees Listed as Active Have Since Exited
Do you know of franchisees listed as “Current Franchisees” who have exited the system since this FDD was issued? Please share via comment below or confidential email.
Here are a few we recognize as having exited:
- Arkansas 1 Justin Rue
- Colorado 1 Matthew Furman
- Delaware 2 Kristi Sutliffe Bradford Sutliffe
- Florida Kimberly McNeal John McNeal
- Missouri James Cook Cynthia Cook
- North Carolina 1 Angelica Arnaldy
- Oklahoma 1 Eric Williams
- Texas 2 Matthew Hughey Tanya Hughey
- Texas Estela Crawford James Crawford
DonutNV Unable to Legally Sell in Registration States (Except WI)
DonutNV ITEM 20 Incomplete Contact Info for Current Franchisees
DonutNV has pared down contact information for current franchisees to name, # Open Trailers, and phone numbers – no address or even city/town/territory location.
DonutNV / Gross Law Discloses Incomplete Contact Information for Former Franchisees
According to the FTC Franchise Rule Compliance Guide, Item 20 of the Franchise Disclosure Document:
…requires the disclosure of contact information for every franchisees who:
FTC Franchise Rule Compliance Guide
– has had an outlet terminated, canceled, not renewed, or otherwise voluntarily or involuntarily ceased to do business under the franchise agreement during the most recently completed fiscal year; or
– has not communicated with the franchisor within 10 weeks of the disclosure document issuance date.
[The Rule requires the disclosure of] the name, city and state, and current business telephone number of a former franchisee.
The DonutNV Franchise Disclosure Document (FDD) omits name, city, state and current business telephone numbers of former franchisees:
Gross Law Handling DonutNV Franchise Filings
Gross Law attorney Travis Tarpeh is listed as the contact on the WI DFI registration website.
It’s unclear if Tom Spadea of Spadea Lignana, who Alex Gingold said he’d dreamed of working with, is out.
Please share any information, tips or referrals via anonymous comment below or by emailing ADMIN, in confidence, at UnhappyFranchisee[at]Gmail[dot]Com.
INVITATION: All companies, organizations and individuals discussed on this website or affiliated social media pages are invited to provide corrections, clarifications, explanations, rebuttals or statements of fact or opinion which we will consider on a priority basis. You may provide immediate correction, clarification or rebuttal by posting in the comment section below, or email your statement to ADMIN at UnhappyFranchisee[at]gmail[dot]com. Thank you for contributing in the spirit of open and honest discussion.
Are you familiar with the DonutNV franchise opportunity, founders Alex and Amanda Gingold, its current or former sales agents (Franchise Fastlane), its advisors (Scott Marr, Franchise Altitude) or the franchise brokers who promoted it?
If so, please leave a comment here or on the related pages here:
The DonutNV Franchise Report (Index)
DONUTNV Franchise Owners Selling at a Loss [UPDATED]
DonutNV Franchise Failures, Closures & Transfers: An Interactive List [UPDATED]
DonutNV Video Collection
DonutNDA Franchise Opportunity (Parody)
Tags: DonutNV Franchise Disclosure Document, DonutNV FDD, DonutNV 2026 Franchise Disclosure Document, DonutNV 2026 FDD, DonutNV franchise, DonutNV Franchising Inc., Alex Gingold, Amanda Gingold, franchise failures, DonutNV failure rate, franchise failure rate, DonutNV scam, DonutNV franchise Fraud, Franchise Fastlane, Gross Law Firm, Keith Gross, Scott Marr, Franchise Altitude, Sean Kelly, SLAPP, Worst franchises, franchise disasters
