January 21, 2026
A private equity firm can't free itself from a contract breach spat between a CBD and hemp product manufacturer and its business partner, as the firm not only interfered with the contract but also threatened to have people thrown in jail if they refused to capitulate, a North Carolina federal court heard Wednesday.
July 28, 2025
Asterra Labs LLC, a hemp and CBD company run by North Carolina State Rep. John Bell, has filed a $1.6 million counterclaim against companies that alleged this month that Asterra used Bell and others' political influence to coerce them into a bad deal, asserting it was the plaintiffs who defrauded Asterra and others.