(a) Upon written notice of intent to transfer the wholesaler’s business, any individual owning or deceased individual who owned an interest in a wholesaler may transfer the wholesaler’s business to a designated member, or any other person who meets the nondiscriminatory, material, and reasonable qualifications and standards required by the supplier for Alabama wholesalers. The consent or approval of the supplier shall not be required of any transfer of the wholesaler’s business, including the assignment of wholesaler’s rights under the agreement, to a designated member or shall not be withheld or unreasonably delayed to a proposed transferee, other than a designated member, who meets the nondiscriminatory, material, and reasonable qualifications and standards. Provided, however, the supplier shall have the burden of proving that the proposed transferee fails to meet the qualifications and standards which are nondiscriminatory, material, and reasonable and consistently applied to Alabama wholesalers by the supplier. The designated member or transferee shall in no event be qualified as a transferee without the prior written approval or consent of the supplier, where the proposed transferee shall have been involved in any of the following:

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Terms Used In Alabama Code 28-8A-8

  • Bankruptcy: Refers to statutes and judicial proceedings involving persons or businesses that cannot pay their debts and seek the assistance of the court in getting a fresh start. Under the protection of the bankruptcy court, debtors may discharge their debts, perhaps by paying a portion of each debt. Bankruptcy judges preside over these proceedings.
  • Conviction: A judgement of guilt against a criminal defendant.
  • following: means next after. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • person: includes a corporation as well as a natural person. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • state: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the several territories of the United States. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
  • United States: includes the territories thereof and the District of Columbia. See Alabama Code 1-1-1
(1) Insolvency filing of any voluntary or involuntary petition under any bankruptcy or receivership law, or execution of an assignment for the benefit of creditors.
(2) Revocation or suspension of an alcoholic beverage license by the regulatory agency of the U.S. government or any state, whereby service was interrupted for more than 61 days.
(3) Conviction of a felony under the United States Code or the laws of any state which reasonably may adversely affect the good will or interest of the wholesaler or supplier.
(4) The involuntary termination, cancellation, non-renewal, or discontinuance by a supplier of an agreement for good cause.
(b) The supplier shall not interfere with, prevent, or unreasonably delay the transfer of the wholesaler’s business, including an assignment of wholesaler’s rights under the agreement, if the proposed transferee is a designated member, or if the transferee other than a designated member meets such nondiscriminatory, material, and reasonable qualifications required by the supplier for Alabama wholesalers. Where the transferee is other than a designated member, the supplier, in good faith and for good cause related to the reasonable qualifications, may refuse to accept the transfer of the wholesaler’s business or the assignment of wholesaler’s rights under the agreement. The supplier shall have the burden of proving that it has acted in good faith and that there was good cause for failure to accept or consent to the transfer of the wholesaler’s business or the assignment of the wholesaler’s rights under the agreement.