New York City-based Green Angel CBD is suing the city and FedEx after police intercepted a hemp shipment destined for the company in 2019, LLNow reports. In addition to the City of New York and the shipping company, the lawsuit names one of FedEx’s drivers and two NYPD officers, claiming that they are all responsible for the missing shipment which was valued at $17,000.
Oren Levy, the owner of Green Angel, had ordered 106 pounds of hemp products from Vermont-based Fox Holler Farms. In the lawsuit, Oren, along with his brother Ronen, said they expected to make a $60,000 to $100,000 profit through sales derived from the shipment.
Oren Levy had redirected the FedEx shipment redirected to his brother’s residence in Brooklyn because he was hospitalized when it was due to arrive at Green Angel. However, Oren received a notification that the shipment was seized by the Vermont Police Department after FedEx and its truck driver notified authorities of packages containing an illegal substance. Vermont police subsequently cleared the shipment, deeming the paperwork lawful and apologizing for the inconvenience, according to the lawsuit outlined by LLNow.
Ronen was arrested and held for 24 hours. In December 2019, the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office dropped all of the charges against Ronen.
Green Angel is suing FedEx for negligence in making a false claim and giving up the packages to the police. It is also claiming negligence on the part of the city for “creating a media spectacle of the confiscation” and publicizing “the incident on a variety of public platforms including but not limited to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram,” the lawsuit states. Additionally, the lawsuit claims that the city was negligent in the hiring, training, and retaining of the officers involved in the bust, describing the city’s hiring practices as one that leads to officers “lacking the intellectual capacity and moral fortitude to discharge their duties.” The lawsuit said the officer’s conduct in the seizure was “inappropriate, unlawful and improper.”
The city and FedEx have both denied wrongdoing.
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