Wyoming paid $150,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by hemp farmers whose crop was seized in 2019 because law enforcement wrongly suspected the plants were illegal cannabis plants, according to a WyoFile report.
The mother-and-son hemp farmer duo, Debra Palm-Egle and Joshua Egle, faced drug trafficking charges including conspiracy to manufacture, deliver, or possess marijuana; possession with intent to deliver marijuana; and possession of marijuana — all felonies. The pair also faced a lesser marijuana cultivation charge. During the investigation, however, the prosecution’s lab testing found that the seized plants tested at THC levels around the federal limit of 0.3%, in line with most industrial hemp crops. In 2021, the federal judge overseeing the case dismissed the charges.
In May 2022, Palm-Egle filed her federal civil suit, the report said. This month, the state agreed to a $150,000 settlement — enough to cover her attorney fees for the civil suit and to make up the money she spent on defense attorneys in 2021-2022.
Palm-Egle said she was glad the legal saga was finished, and suggested the lawsuit might help officials “stop and think” before rushing into a potential hemp crop seizure.
“This has been a long fight, and I’m grateful that I’m finished with this and I hope that no one else goes through this in the state.” — Palm-Egle, via WyoFile
