Cannabis

  • March 12, 2024

    Colo. Cannabis Brands Hit With $5.5M Creditor Suit

    BellRock, the cannabis company behind brands such as Mary's Medicinals and Dixie, was hit with a lawsuit seeking $5.5 million in defaulted loans, weeks after the company announced its chief executive's departure and that it is considering restructuring debt.

  • March 12, 2024

    Pot Co. Says Commerce Clause Meant To Stop 'Trade Wars'

    Cannabis company Peridot Tree WA Inc. is urging a Washington federal judge to reject a bid to dismiss its suit alleging the state's cannabis social equity licensing scheme violates the Constitution's dormant commerce clause, saying the court should find that it applies to cannabis businesses.

  • March 11, 2024

    Judge Blasts Instagrammer's Bid To Upend $1.6M Ruling

    A lifestyle brand headed by Instagram celebrity Dan Bilzerian could face sanctions should it continue to recycle arguments for why it shouldn't be forced to pay a $1.6 million judgment to a consulting firm it was accused of cheating, a Nevada federal judge warned in an order denying the brand's motion for reconsideration.

  • March 11, 2024

    DC Circ. Mulls Tax-Exempt Status For Ayahuasca Church

    A D.C. Circuit panel on Monday pushed counsel for an Iowa church that uses the psychedelic substance ayahuasca in its ceremonies to explain why the Internal Revenue Service erred in denying it tax-exempt status.

  • March 11, 2024

    CBD Co. Says Investors' Fraudulent Intent Claims Fall Short

    Canopy Growth Corp. is urging a New York federal court to throw out claims that it misled investors about the prospects of a sports nutrition subsidiary, saying the proposed class action fails to establish a motive for the alleged fraud or that the cannabis company was aware that any statements it made were false.

  • March 08, 2024

    CBD Shop Seeks Relief From Fees For Lost Trial Against Cops

    The owner of a shuttered CBD shop urged a Tennessee federal judge to free him from $35,000 in court costs for a trial he lost against the local cops who raided his shop, even though all of his products were legal, saying his net worth is in the red.

  • March 08, 2024

    Union Urges Affirming Reinstatement Award Over Pot Test

    An aircraft mechanics union has asked a Washington federal judge to back an arbitration board's decision ordering Alaska Airlines to reinstate a unionized worker who testified positive for marijuana, saying the award was properly based on the parties' labor contract.

  • March 08, 2024

    Colo. Dispensary And Tracking Vendor Settle Fee Suit

    A Colorado state judge has called off a trial between a dispensary chain and Metrc LLC, the company contracted by the state to track cannabis sales, after the two agreed to settle a lawsuit the retailer filed over monthly fees the vendor charged for its state-mandated services.

  • March 08, 2024

    Md. Pot Regulators Eye Win In Challenge To Social Equity Plan

    Maryland cannabis regulators on Friday asked a federal judge to toss a lawsuit alleging the state's social equity scheme unconstitutionally discriminates against out-of-state players, asserting that there is no such thing as a federally legal marijuana market.

  • March 08, 2024

    Colo. Judge Sends Pot Co. Receivership Dispute To Arbitration

    A member of a struggling cannabis cultivation and dispensary business alleging mismanagement by other owners must take its receivership battle to arbitration, after a Colorado state judge found that the company's operating agreement requires it.

  • March 08, 2024

    Hiller PC Says Ex-Atty Stole From Firm, Not The Reverse

    Boutique firm Hiller PC told a New York state judge that a suit by a former attorney alleging she was underpaid should be trimmed, arguing that unjust enrichment claims fail because she was actually stealing money from the firm, not the other way around.

  • March 08, 2024

    Longtime Cannabis Atty From Bressler Joins Fox Rothschild

    Fox Rothschild LLP announced that an experienced cannabis and financial services attorney who spent nearly two decades with Bressler Amery & Ross PC has moved to the firm's litigation practice as a partner in Morristown, New Jersey.

  • March 07, 2024

    Biden Blasts 'Hidden Fees' During State Of The Union

    During what could be his last State of the Union, President Joe Biden touted on Thursday night his administration's efforts to protect consumers by combating such issues as "junk fees" and price gouging.

  • March 07, 2024

    NY Cannabis License Scheme Not Discriminatory, State Says

    New York cannabis regulators have urged a federal judge to reject a bid seeking to temporarily halt the issuance of marijuana retail licenses by a company that claims the social equity program is biased against white male entrepreneurs, arguing that the company "fundamentally misunderstands" how the program works.

  • March 07, 2024

    Marijuana Store Retaliated After Complaint, Ex-Worker Says

    An Atlantic City, New Jersey, marijuana dispensary fired one of its employees after she requested that "loud music" being played in the shop be turned down because it triggered her post-traumatic stress, paranoia and anxiety, the ex-worker says in a discrimination lawsuit filed in New Jersey state court. 

  • March 07, 2024

    Hawaii Senate OKs Cannabis Legalization Bill

    The Hawaii Senate has approved a bill to legalize marijuana for adult nonmedical use and tax and regulate its sale, sending the proposal to the state House of Representatives for review.

  • March 07, 2024

    Sens. Tell Stores To Get Illegal E-Cigs Off Their Shelves

    Five U.S. senators on Thursday told the heads of major convenience store and gas station chains to stop sales of unauthorized flavored e-cigarette products, saying that their illegal sales pose a major threat to public health, especially children's.

  • March 07, 2024

    Pot Co. Worker Claims Retaliation For Spotting Bad Policies

    A Hollywood Boulevard-located cannabis dispensary, Pineapple Express, terminated one of its top-selling employees after he complained about the ways it was failing to follow California marijuana laws, according to a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles County Court.

  • March 06, 2024

    Vape Co. Is Denied Atty Fees After Subsidiary Loses Case

    A vape and lifestyle brand headed by Instagram celebrity Dan Bilzerian that was hit with a $1.6 million judgment in a contract dispute can't get back its attorney fees, a Nevada federal judge has ruled, saying a party actually has to win money to recover expenses.

  • March 06, 2024

    Juul MDL Judge Asks Feds To Probe AI Fraud In $45.5M Deal

    A California federal judge Wednesday approved e-cigarette Juul investor Altria's $45.5 million settlement and counsel's $13.65 million fee request to resolve consumer claims in Altria's broader $235 million multidistrict settlement agreement, but said fraudulent claims submitted by AI and "click farms" are a "real problem" prosecutors should investigate.

  • March 06, 2024

    3rd Circ. Questions Who Can Sue Under NJ Cannabis Law

    The Third Circuit on Wednesday struggled to pinpoint whether workers can sue employers under a New Jersey law that protects them from punishment for cannabis use, while also expressing unease about accepting Walmart's assertion that state regulators possess broad enforcement authority.

  • March 06, 2024

    Senators Question Cherokee Tribe's Cannabis Co. Launch

    Both of North Carolina's U.S. senators are asking for an inquiry into the upcoming launch of a Cherokee tribe's cannabis dispensary, saying the matter raises important questions on how to keep the state's residents safe.

  • March 06, 2024

    Wash. Business Can't Get Pot License Back After Eviction

    A Washington appeals court won't upend a decision from the state's Liquor and Cannabis Board revoking a company's cannabis license after it was evicted, finding this week that the decision was supported by the evidence in front of the board and wasn't arbitrary or capricious.

  • March 05, 2024

    Wash. Court Says Dept. Jumped Gun On Weed Co. Wage Suit

    The Washington Department of Labor and Industries prematurely commenced a wage action against a cannabis company, state appellate judges ruled, because it had not yet determined how much the company owed its workers.

  • March 05, 2024

    Wash. Appeals Judges Balk At Pot Investor's 2nd Fraud Suit

    A three-judge panel of Washington state appeals court judges appeared frustrated Tuesday with an investor who permanently dropped a fraud case against partners in a failed cannabis venture but then filed related claims in a neighboring county, questioning how he could argue he needed to wait for the second salvo to ripen when an email explicitly states otherwise.

Expert Analysis

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: Mexico

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    ESG has yet to become part of the DNA of the Mexican business model, but huge strides are being made in that direction, as more stakeholders demand that companies adopt, at the least, a modicum of sustainability commitments and demonstrate how they will meet them, says Carlos Escoto at Galicia Abogados.

  • The Case For Post-Bar Clerk Training Programs At Law Firms

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    In today's competitive legal hiring market, an intentionally designed training program for law school graduates awaiting bar admission can be an effective way of creating a pipeline of qualified candidates, says Brent Daub at Gilson Daub.

  • Ohio Voters Legalize Cannabis — What Comes Next?

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    This month, voters approved a citizen-initiated statute that legalizes marijuana for recreational use in Ohio, but the legalization timeline could undergo significant changes at the behest of the state's lawmakers, say Daniel Shortt and David Waxman at McGlinchey Stafford.

  • Attorneys Have An Ethical Duty To Protect The Judiciary

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    The tenor of public disagreement and debate has become increasingly hostile against judges, and though the legislative branch is trying to ameliorate this safety gap, lawyers have a moral imperative and professional requirement to stand with judges in defusing attacks against them and their rulings, says Deborah Winokur at Cozen O'Connor.

  • 5 New Calif. Laws Employers Need To Know

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    Now is a good time for employers to evaluate personnel rules to keep pace with California’s newly adopted employee protections, which go into effect early next year and include laws regarding reproductive loss leave, cannabis use, workplace violence prevention and noncompete agreements, say attorneys at Farella Braun.

  • AI Can Help Lawyers Overcome The Programming Barrier

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    Legal professionals without programming expertise can use generative artificial intelligence to harness the power of automation and other technology solutions to streamline their work, without the steep learning curve traditionally associated with coding, says George Zalepa at Greenberg Traurig.

  • Preparing Law Students For A New, AI-Assisted Legal World

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    As artificial intelligence rapidly transforms the legal landscape, law schools must integrate technology and curricula that address AI’s innate challenges — from ethics to data security — to help students stay ahead of the curve, say Daniel Garrie at Law & Forensics, Ryan Abbott at JAMS and Karen Silverman at Cantellus Group.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: South Korea

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    Numerous ESG trends have materialized in South Korea in the past three years, with impacts ranging from greenwashing prevention and carbon neutrality measures to workplace harassment and board diversity initiatives, say Chang Wook Min and Hyun Chan Jung at Jipyong.

  • General Counsel Need Data Literacy To Keep Up With AI

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    With the rise of accessible and powerful generative artificial intelligence solutions, it is imperative for general counsel to understand the use and application of data for myriad important activities, from evaluating the e-discovery process to monitoring compliance analytics and more, says Colin Levy at Malbek.

  • Navigating Discovery Of Generative AI Information

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    As generative artificial intelligence tools become increasingly ubiquitous, companies must make sure to preserve generative AI data when there is reasonable expectation of litigation, and to include transcripts in litigation hold notices, as they may be relevant to discovery requests, say Nick Peterson and Corey Hauser at Wiley.

  • Finding Focus: Strategies For Attorneys With ADHD

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    Given the prevalence of ADHD among attorneys, it is imperative that the legal community gain a better understanding of how ADHD affects well-being, and that resources and strategies exist for attorneys with this disability to manage their symptoms and achieve success, say Casey Dixon at Dixon Life Coaching and Krista Larson at Stinson.

  • Regulatory Shift May Offer Lifeline To NY's Cannabis Industry

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    Recent developments may help to open up the regulatory log jam and increase the number of licensed dispensaries in New York state, and can eventually allow the licensed cannabis market to win out over unlicensed dispensaries, say attorneys at Davis+Gilbert.

  • Why Hemp-Synthesized Intoxicants Need Uniform Regs

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    State laws regulating hemp-synthesized intoxicants are a patchwork with little consistency between any given state, and without the adoption of a uniform regulatory framework, producers and consumers alike will need to be very cautious, say Dylan Anderson and Seth Goldberg at Duane Morris.

  • Attorneys, Law Schools Must Adapt To New Era Of Evidence

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    Technological advancements mean more direct evidence is being created than ever before, and attorneys as well as law schools must modify their methods to account for new challenges in how this evidence is collected and used to try cases, says Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner.

  • Series

    ESG Around The World: The UK

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    Following Brexit, the U.K. has adopted a different approach to regulating environmental, social and governance factors from the European Union — an approach that focuses on climate disclosures by U.K.-regulated entities, while steering clear of the more ambitious objectives pursued by the EU, say attorneys at Dechert.

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