Lawsuits

The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania has allowed a cannabis patient’s lawsuit against her former employer to move forward; the patient alleges she was wrongfully fired due to her cannabis use.

A former NYPD officer is suing the department after being forced into early retirement due to his status as a registered medical cannabis patient. The lawsuit alleges extreme instances of workplace harassment, disability discrimination, and retaliation.

The couple behind the cannabis-friendly cryptocurrency ParagonCoin, which launched in 2017, failed to appear in court and may be on the run after they were fined $250,000 by the SEC and told to refund $12 million to investors.

A Florida-based attorney has filed federal lawsuits against at least three cannabis companies in Michigan, claiming the companies sent unsolicited marketing text messages or automated phone calls without proper consent.

Hemp entrepreneurs and advocates are suing the state of Texas over regulations that ban smokeable forms of hemp products, arguing that the ban is unconstitutional.

A great-grandmother is suing Disney after she was arrested at the company’s Florida theme park last year for carrying hemp-derived CBD oil, which is legal under federal law.

In 2018, Nevada awarded 61 state licenses to just 17 applicants, and many applicants who were not selected sued state officials. A recently proposed settlement to that lawsuit would see 10 cannabis licenses shifted to new owners in the state, but some of the plaintiffs are calling for the settlement to be thrown out.

Clint Eastwood is suing a host of CBD companies for allegedly using his name and likeness to promote their products without his permission.

Four New Mexico medical cannabis brands are accusing the state of adopting “arbitrary and capricious” rules, some of which appear to be copy-pasted from other states including a testing requirement for mycotoxins which have never been found in New Mexico-grown cannabis.

Anti-cannabis activists in Arizona are suing to prevent the state’s voter initiative to legalize adult-use cannabis from appearing on the November ballot, arguing that the petition summary didn’t give voters the full picture.

Dan Bilzerian, CEO of Ignite International Brands Ltd, is being sued by the company’s former executive vice president who claims he was fired after blowing the whistle on irresponsible spending.

Cannabis companies are paying insurance rates that are up to seven times higher than other industries with many citing a rise in U.S. lawsuits against publicly traded cannabis firms.

Brian Lannon, the co-founder and former CEO for Cannalysis, a California testing lab, has filed suit against the company over allegations of wrongful termination, fraudulent activities, and more.

Florida MCBD is suing New York-based Columbia Care claiming a pattern of wrongful interference as Columbia worked to secure a Florida cannabis business license.

Harborside in California is continuing its challenge of the federal tax code 280E, which the company’s legal team says is unconstitutional and runs afoul of the 16th Amendment.

The Maine Cannabis Coalition is suing the state over its recent decision to remove residency requirements for cannabis licensees.

A RICO case brought by an Oregon homeowner against more than 80 cannabis companies has been dismissed at the plaintiff’s request.

Lawsuits tied to a 2018 crackdown on Tennessee CBD retailers can move forward after a court rejected a request by law enforcement officials to have the case thrown out.

Oregonized Hemp Co. is suing two different sheriffs’ offices claiming that they unlawfully seized and destroyed $2 million worth of the company’s industrial hemp crop.

The number of class action lawsuits filed against publicly traded cannabis companies more than doubled from 2018 to 2019.

iAnthus Capital Holdings is facing a class-action lawsuit after the company announced it would default on interest payments for a $157.5 million debt.

The Social Equity and Workers Association is suing Los Angeles over the city’s first-come, first-served cannabis licensing process.

A Massachusetts judge ruled that Gov. Baker acted within his authority when he ordered adult-use cannabis dispensaries to close during the coronavirus pandemic.

A former Amazon employee who was fired for using medical cannabis has won a federal court decision that will send the resulting lawsuit back to New Jersey’s Supreme Court, where he has a much stronger shot at winning the case.