Section 10-1-721. Successor to deceased retail dealer

   (a) Effective January 1, 1988, no franchise agreement entered into between a producer and a dealer or a redistributor and a dealer shall deny a dealer the rights provided in this Code section.

(b) A dealer shall have the right, effective upon his death or retirement, to have the producer or redistributor offer a trial franchise to the designated family member who has been approved by the producer or redistributor in accordance with the producer's or redistributor's reasonable standard for personal and financial condition unless the producer or redistributor shows that the designated family member no longer meets the reasonable standards set at the time of designation of the previous approval. The foregoing shall not prohibit a producer or redistributor from requiring that the designated family member accept the trial franchise within 30 days of the dealer's death or retirement and that the designated family member attend a training program offered by the producer or redistributor. As used in this Code section, the term "trial franchise" shall have the same meaning as provided in the federal Petroleum Marketing Practices Act (15 U.S.C. Section 2801, et seq.).

(c) A dealer and a producer or a dealer and a redistributor may mutually agree to change the family member designated. The designated family member shall provide, upon the request of the producer or redistributor, personal and financial data that are reasonably necessary to determine whether he or she meets the producer's or redistributor's reasonable standards. The producer or redistributor shall not be obligated to accept a designated family member under this subsection who does not meet the producer's or redistributor's reasonable standards but any refusal to accept the designated family member shall be given by the producer or redistributor in writing to the dealer and shall fairly state the reason therefor.

Code 1981, § 10-1-721, enacted by Ga. L. 1987, p. 1459, § 1.