Forty years of “definitely not a franchise.” Six years in federal court. One very loud whistle.
Hornswaggled follows the money, the filings, and the wake of Sea Tow Services International, Inc. v. Tampa Bay Marine Recovery, Inc. E.D.N.Y. 2:20-cv-02877-WFK-SIL — the case that asks whether America’s yellow-boat empire is a franchise, a license, or that rarest of vessels, the Frochise™: a franchise what acts more like a noose than a partnership.
Everything here is satire and commentary built on public court records. Allegations stay allegations until a court says otherwise — and where a court has said otherwise, we quote the judge.
New aboard? The case in five sentences
- Sea Tow Services International has publicly sold “franchise” opportunities since the 1980s — yet the public record shows no New York Franchise Sales Act registration in four decades, and the NY Attorney General formally alleged unregistered franchising back in 1988. The 1988 file →
- In 2019 Sea Tow took back the Tampa Bay territory from Erich and Abigail Jaeger — a family renting their home, with two young boys — and in June 2020 sued them in New York for $1.5 million, a sum they could never realistically pay. Meet the Jaegers →
- The Jaegers fought back with counterclaims under the franchise law; in 2022 Judge Seybert ruled the alleged fees fit “comfortably within” the statutory definition of a franchise fee (ECF No. 216).
- Six years on, Sea Tow’s case has shrunk to sixty days of billing disputes and a paint job, while courts have reined in its 17-subpoena campaign under court-imposed confidentiality, found one of its representations “untrue,” and watched its own co-counsel resign over strategies he called “contrary to the law.” The full timeline →
- The June 30, 2026 SBA recertification deadline has passed — and our August review of the post-deadline Directory found Sea Tow not listed. Why is an open question; the consequence for franchisee lending is not. Episode XXII →
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The Case
Summary & Chart Room
How it started, how it’s going, and a quick-reference table of the documents that matter — with docket numbers so you can verify every word on PACER.
Read the summary →The Cast
Scallywags & Crew
Full dossiers on the Frohnhoefers, Mitch Stein and his sanctions record, the Jaegers, the L’Hommedieus, Ryan Hurley, the SBA, the NYS AG, and the fleet itself.
Open the manifest →The Log
Timeline
From a mysterious 1972 Florida corporation named SEA TOW, INC. to the August 2026 sealed-envelope fight over franchise valuations — company history and case history on one chart.
Chart the course →The Hold
The Archive
Every back issue we’ve published, from Introducing the Frochise™ to The L’Hommedieu Story — downloadable, citable, and free.
Browse back issues →The Ship’s Store
Fly the Colors
Hornswaggled shirts, mugs, and assorted contraband. Every purchase keeps the crow’s nest crewed and mildly annoys a Frochise™ near you.
Visit the store ↗⚓ The standing call to action
If you fly the yellow flag: call Joe Frohnhoefer. Call Mitch Stein. Ask them, in writing, to settle the Jaeger litigation and to register properly under the New York Franchise Sales Act — real disclosure documents, real registration — so that what you bought finally becomes what you were sold.