Mealey's (January 29, 2018, 1:38 PM EST) -- BALTIMORE — A Texas couple who dismissed their lawsuit accusing Essential Brands Inc., doing business as Kiddie Academy Domestic Franchising LLC, of negligent misrepresentation, fraud in the inducement and defamation is not required to pay the franchisor’s attorney fees, a federal judge in Maryland ruled Jan. 25, finding that the franchise agreement is unclear regarding who must pay the fees when the franchisee initiates a suit for misrepresentation or fraud (Supriya Sumanth, et al. v. Essential Brands Inc., No. 17-2450, D. Md., 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 11968)....