The Vermont Statutes Online
The Statutes below include the actions of the 2025 session of the General Assembly.
NOTE: The Vermont Statutes Online is an unofficial copy of the Vermont Statutes Annotated that is provided as a convenience.
(Cite as: 9 V.S.A. § 4084)
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§ 4084. Legislative findings
(a) The Legislature finds and declares that the distribution and sale of vehicles within
this State vitally affects the general economy of the State and the public interest
and the public welfare, and that in order to promote the public interest and the public
welfare, and in the exercise of its police power, it is necessary to regulate vehicle
manufacturers, distributors, or wholesalers and factory or distributor representatives,
and to regulate franchises issued by the aforementioned who are doing business in
this State in order to prevent frauds, impositions, and other abuses upon its citizens
and to protect and preserve the investments and properties of the citizens of this
State.
(b) The Legislature further finds that there continues to exist an inequality of bargaining
power between motor vehicle franchisors and motor vehicle franchisees. This inequality
of bargaining power enables motor vehicle franchisors to compel motor vehicle franchisees
to execute franchises and related agreements that contain terms and conditions that
would not routinely be agreed to by the motor vehicle franchisees if this inequality
did not exist. Furthermore, as the result of the inequality of bargaining power, motor
vehicle franchisees have not had the opportunity to have disputes with their motor
vehicle franchisors arising out of the franchisor-franchisee relationship heard in
an appropriate venue, convenient to both parties, by tribunals established by statute
for the resolution of these disputes. It therefore is in the public interest to enact
legislation to prevent unfair or arbitrary treatment of motor vehicle franchisees
by motor vehicle franchisors. It is the Legislature’s intent to have this chapter
liberally construed in order to achieve its purpose. (Added 1981, No. 157 (Adj. Sess.), § 1, eff. April 14, 1982; amended 2009, No. 57, § 1, eff. June 1, 2009.)