Forced to sign promise note by franchisor. I never mailed him the original with the singature. Do I have to pay him?

You should contact an attorney in your area as to the application of the law to your specific facts. However, a contract is the agreement between the contracting to parties to do or not do something in exchange for doing or not doing something. The agreement can be evidenced by oral statements or by any writing. The exchange or original signatures are generally not required for commercial agreement of the type you refer to but may be in your state. A copy of the signature is generally deemed to be as good as the original unless there is a challenge to the authenticity of the signature. Since you concede the signature is authentic, the fact that he does not possess the original of the signed note would generally not work as a defense to payment. The fact that your copy does not have the franchisor's signature is unlikely to work as a defense. The franchisor sent you the note and is apparently attempting to enforce its terms based on your acceptance of it. You should seek out a contract attorney in your state to evaluate this situation under your state's laws.

The answer to your question is too complicated for a simple answer on this forum. A lawyer needs to carefully review the rights and obligations contained in the agreement.

Call Steadman Sheely. If he can't help you, he will tell you who can.