(a) Upon the death of a gasoline dealer, the franchise of said dealer and any leases or other agreements in connection therewith may be assumed by any dealer family member, who has actively participated in the franchise during the twelve-month period immediately preceding the dealer’s death (but not necessarily continuously throughout such period), who meets the qualifications necessary to operate the station which would be customarily required by the petroleum distributor in question, and who gives written notice of the dealer family member’s election to assume the franchise, and any leases or other agreements in connection therewith, to the petroleum distributor and any lessors of the premises within thirty days of the death of the gasoline dealer and affirms the same in writing within fifteen days after such thirty-day period.

Terms Used In Hawaii Revised Statutes 486H-9

  • Franchise: means :

    (1) Any agreement or related agreements between a petroleum distributor and a gasoline dealer under which the gasoline dealer is granted the right to use a trademark, trade name, service mark, or other identifying symbol or name owned by the distributor in connection with the retail sale of petroleum products supplied by the petroleum distributor; or

    (2) Any agreement or related agreements described in paragraph (1) and any agreement between a petroleum distributor and a gasoline dealer under which the gasoline dealer is granted the right to occupy the premises owned, leased, or controlled by the distributor, for the purpose of engaging in the retail sale of petroleum products supplied by the distributor. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 486H-1

  • Gasoline: includes gasoline, benzol, benzine, naphtha, and any other liquid prepared, advertised, offered for sale, sold for use as, or used for, the generation of power for the propulsion of motor vehicles, including any product obtained by blending together any one or more petroleum products with or without other products, if the resultant product is capable of the same use. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 486H-1
  • Gasoline dealer: means any person engaged in the retail sale of petroleum products in the United States under a franchise agreement entered into with a petroleum distributor. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 486H-1
  • Operate: means to engage in the business of selling motor vehicle fuel at a retail service station through any employee, commissioned agent, subsidiary company, or person managing a retail service station under a contract and on a fee arrangement with the manufacturer or jobber. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 486H-1
  • Petroleum distributor: means any person engaged in the sale, consignment, or distribution of petroleum products to retail outlets that it owns, leases, or otherwise controls. See Hawaii Revised Statutes 486H-1
(b) Any dealer family member who is entitled to give the notice under subsection (a) shall have the right to operate the franchise during the forty-five-day period provided for in subsection (a).
(c) “Dealer family member” shall mean that person from the group consisting of the surviving spouse and surviving adult children of the dealer designated by the dealer in a written designation received by the petroleum distributor prior to the dealer’s death, provided that in the absence of any written designation, the dealer family member shall be that one of the dealer’s surviving spouse and the dealer’s surviving adult children who is entitled to give and gives the notice provided for in subsection (a) and who is chosen by said group. If said group does not choose the dealer family member within forty-five days after the dealer’s death, then the petroleum distributor shall have the option of choosing the dealer family member from among those who were entitled to give and give notice of their election to assume the franchise, any leases or other agreements in accordance with subsection (a).