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Cannabis
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March 28, 2024
Trucking Co. Can't Undo $20M Verdict In Crash Death Suit
A Missouri appeals court won't let Great Plains Trucking Inc. upend a $20 million verdict against it in a wrongful death suit, finding the trial court didn't abuse its discretion by excluding testimony about a plaintiff's cannabis usage or allowing the mother and father of the deceased to use separate counsel at trial.
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March 28, 2024
Ex-BigLaw Atty Named Acting GC At Neptune Wellness
Neptune Wellness Solutions Inc. elevated to acting general counsel one of its in-house lawyers, who previously worked in BigLaw, the consumer-packaged goods company said in a securities filing on Wednesday, just days after a federal judge's order to replace its legal counsel.
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March 28, 2024
'Better Made' Chips Goes After 'Better Smoke' Pot
Detroit-based Better Made Snack Foods Inc. said a number of cannabis companies in Michigan have been selling a line of "Better Smoke" cannabis products that mimics the snack brand's century-old logo in a trademark infringement lawsuit filed Wednesday.
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March 28, 2024
Romney Tells DEA Pot Review Must Heed Treaty Obligations
Sen. Mitt Romney, R-Utah, on Wednesday expressed skepticism about federal health regulators' recommendation to loosen marijuana restrictions and pressed the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration to explain how it would consider the drug's status in light of U.S. treaties.
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March 27, 2024
Cannabis Caucus Dems Urge Garland To Restore Pot Protections
The two Democratic members of the U.S. House of Representatives' Congressional Cannabis Caucus blasted Attorney General Merrick Garland on Wednesday for not reissuing "overdue" protections for marijuana businesses acting in compliance with state and tribal law.
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March 27, 2024
LG Chem Mostly Wins Discovery Feud In Vape Battery Suit
A New Jersey appellate court on Wednesday allowed an LG Corp. unit to prevail on 21 out of 22 discovery challenges in a suit over an exploding vape pen battery, saying the majority of the plaintiff's requests were overly broad and not tailored to his claims.
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March 27, 2024
CBD Retailer Used Spyware, Recorded Online Chats, Suit Says
Charlotte's Web Inc., a CBD retailer, is secretly recording conversations of those who visit its website in violation of a California privacy law that is simple to follow, according to a proposed class action removed to federal court on Monday.
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March 27, 2024
Fla. Panel Reverses $43M Judgment In Tobacco Suit
Florida's Third District Court of Appeal on Wednesday reversed a $43 million judgment against Philip Morris USA Inc. in a wrongful death case, issuing a split decision stating that hearsay testimony allowed during the trial wasn't offered to prove that the female decedent believed filtered cigarettes were safe.
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March 27, 2024
Chancery Sides With Cannabis Company On Legal Fees Row
A Delaware Court of Chancery judge at a Wednesday hearing gave Left Coast Ventures Inc. time to fulfill a court order requiring it to cover legal fees for three former directors of the cannabis company defending a merger-related suit, after a company attorney told the judge the money will be coming.
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March 27, 2024
Cannabis Real Estate Firm Gets $20.2M In Fraud Verdict
A Los Angeles County court has awarded a pair of cannabis real estate firms $20.2 million in a suit alleging they were defrauded of more than $14 million in a scheme by a business owner who falsely represented that he'd owned several cannabis facilities in the state.
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March 27, 2024
Cannabis Retailer Sues To Revive Union Decertification Bid
A western Massachusetts cannabis retailer has asked a state court to reinstate an employee's petition to decertify a budding local of the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, which was dismissed by a state labor board following a settlement of separate prohibited practices complaints.
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March 26, 2024
Calif. Pot Co. Glass House Seeks Toss Of Competition Suit
Cannabis company Glass House Brands Inc. urged a Los Angeles County court to toss a competitor's lawsuit accusing it of intentionally peddling most of its goods to retailers who sell on the illicit market, arguing that the court shouldn't step on the toes of the state's cannabis authority.
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March 26, 2024
SEC To Settle Fraud Suit With CEO Of North Carolina CBD Co.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the North Carolina CBD company CEO it accused of self-dealing and defrauding investors in a fund he ran has asked a federal judge to pause the government's case, telling the court they have reached a settlement.
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March 26, 2024
Pot Co. Withholding Fees Despite Court Order, Chancery Told
Three former directors of Left Coast Ventures Inc. say the cannabis company still hasn't advanced their legal defense fees for a merger-related lawsuit despite a court order to do so, and are now seeking help from Delaware's Court of Chancery to get the bills paid.
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March 25, 2024
SEC Says Cannabis Investment Fund Was $500K Scheme
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has filed suit in Arizona federal court against a would-be venture capitalist, accusing him of fraudulently raising more than $500,000 from two investors for the cannabis startup where he worked.
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March 25, 2024
Atty Can Drop Alleged Schemer Who Didn't Pay For 2 Years
A man accused of being the mastermind behind a $2 million cannabis crowdfunding scheme must find a new lawyer after stiffing his previous counsel for nearly two years, a Michigan federal judge said Monday.
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March 25, 2024
Hemp Co. Needs Atty Or It'll Lose Bid To Upend $3.9M Award
Cannabis company Neptune Wellness Solutions Inc. must replace its legal counsel, who quit after not getting paid, a federal judge in Manhattan has ordered, warning that failure to do so will result in the dismissal of its bid seeking to dodge a $3.9 million arbitration award.
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March 25, 2024
Cannabis Bill Roundup: NY Targets Illicit Pot Sellers
New York lawmakers introduced legislation to punish unlicensed cannabis sellers, Hawaii legislators made modifications to a proposal to legalize recreational marijuana, and a Connecticut bill targeting synthetic cannabinoids was referred to a legislative research office. Here are the major moves in cannabis legislation from the past week.
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March 25, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Last week in Delaware's Court of Chancery, litigants battled as Truth Social went public, Carl Icahn and Tripadvisor hit a roadblock, and more shareholders wailed about "invasive" bylaws. Oil drilling and pharmaceutical mergers sparked new lawsuits, and a sewing machine trademark owner sued to end a contract.
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March 22, 2024
Md. University Says Psilocybin Trade Theft Suit Belongs In US
A London-based biochemical company cannot be allowed to escape across the pond with trade secrets related to using psilocybin as a mental health treatment, the University of Maryland, Baltimore, told a federal court, saying the company's minimum contacts with the state was its "months-long fraudulent scheme" to swipe intellectual property.
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March 22, 2024
Former Hiller Atty Fights To Keep Entire Wage Suit Standing
A former cannabis attorney at boutique firm Hiller PC told a New York state judge on Friday that her wage suit should stay in place in its entirety, saying that her contract existence doesn't prevent unjust enrichment claims.
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March 22, 2024
Pot Co. Investor Gets Colo. Contract Breach Suit Revived
A Colorado appeals court has revived an investor's suit alleging that the head of a six-company cannabis enterprise failed to pay out as agreed, finding the trial court was wrong to find the investor did not have a legally protected interest in the enterprise.
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March 21, 2024
5th Circ. Backs FDA's Vivid Warnings Of Cigarette Dangers
Government mandated text warnings and graphic images on cigarette packs to advertise the health risks of smoking do not violate the free speech rights of R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. and other cigarette manufacturers, the Fifth Circuit ruled Thursday, saying the warnings are "factual and uncontroversial" and pass constitutional muster.
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March 21, 2024
AGs Urge Congress To Address Hemp Intoxicants In Farm Bill
A bipartisan coalition of 21 attorneys general is urging Congress to address what the state officials call a public health and safety crisis by amending federal hemp policy to clarify that intoxicating products derived from hemp extracts are not legal under federal law.
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March 21, 2024
Gun Rights Org., Pa. DA Seek To Block Pot Patients' Gun Ban
A Pennsylvania prosecutor and a gun rights organization have asked a federal judge to block enforcement of policies that prohibit licensed medical marijuana patients from owning firearms, saying the ban violates the patients' Second Amendment rights.
Expert Analysis
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Prepping Your Business Ahead Of Affirmative Action Ruling
The U.S. Supreme Court's upcoming ruling on whether race should play a role in college admissions could potentially end affirmative action, and companies will need a considered approach to these circumstances that protects their brand power and future profits, and be prepared to answer tough questions, say Nadine Blackburn at United Minds and Eric Blankenbaker at Weber Shandwick.
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Tackling Judge-Shopping Concerns While Honoring Localism
As the debate continues over judge-shopping and case assignments in federal court, policymakers should look to a hybrid model that preserves the benefits of localism for those cases that warrant it, while preventing the appearance of judge-shopping for cases of a more national or widespread character, says Joshua Sohn at the U.S. Department of Justice.
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Potential Risks And Benefits Of NY Cannabis Crop Rescue Act
Though proposed legislation in New York would help struggling cannabis farmers by allowing them to sell their crops directly to consumers, it poses numerous challenges for retailers and the state’s regulatory framework — and striking the right balance here will be crucial to shaping a sustainable, equitable industry, say Meaghan Feenan and William Wolfe at Harris Beach.
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Perspectives
How Attorneys Can Help Combat Anti-Asian Hate
Amid an exponential increase in violence against Asian American and Pacific Islander communities, unique obstacles stand in the way of accountability and justice — but lawyers can effect powerful change by raising awareness, offering legal representation, advocating for victims’ rights and more, say attorneys at Gibson Dunn.
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Opinion
Congress Needs To Enact A Federal Anti-SLAPP Statute
Although many states have passed statutes meant to prevent individuals or entities from filing strategic lawsuits against public participation, other states have not, so it's time for Congress to enact a federal statute to ensure that free speech and petitioning rights are uniformly protected nationwide in federal court, say attorneys at Skadden.
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Legal Pitfalls To Watch For When Advertising Psychedelics
As psychedelic products and related therapeutic services make their way into the mainstream, companies engaged in creating or publishing ads for such products and services should consider several legal implications on federal, state and local levels, says Dorian Thomas at Frankfurt Kurnit.
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Roadblocks For Cannabis Employers Setting Up 401(k) Plans
Though the Internal Revenue Code and the Employee Retirement Income Security Act generally allow cannabis businesses to establish 401(k) plans for their employees, companies must still pick their way through uncertainties around tax deductions and recruiting reliable vendors, say attorneys at Shipman & Goodwin.
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Some Client Speculations On AI And The Law Firm Biz Model
Generative artificial intelligence technologies will put pressure on the business of law as it is structured currently, but clients may end up with more price certainty for legal services, and lawyers may spend more time being lawyers, says Jonathan Cole at Melody Capital.
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A Lawyer's Guide To Approaching Digital Assets In Discovery
The booming growth of cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens has made digital assets relevant in many legal disputes but also poses several challenges for discovery, so lawyers must garner an understanding of the technology behind these assets, the way they function, and how they're held, says Brett Sager at Ehrenstein Sager.
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Opinion
High Court's Ethics Statement Places Justices Above The Law
The U.S. Supreme Court justices' disappointing statement on the court's ethics principles and practices reveals that not only are they satisfied with a status quo in which they are bound by fewer ethics rules than other federal judges, but also that they've twisted the few rules that do apply to them, says David Janovsky at the Project on Government Oversight.
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Opinion
Time For Law Schools To Rethink Unsung Role Of Adjuncts
As law schools prepare for the fall 2023 semester, administrators should reevaluate the role of the underappreciated, indispensable adjunct, and consider 16 concrete actions to improve the adjuncts' teaching experience, overall happiness and feeling of belonging, say T. Markus Funk at Perkins Coie, Andrew Boutros at Dechert and Eugene Volokh at UCLA.
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Tips For In-House Legal Leaders In A Challenging Economy
Amid today's economic and geopolitical uncertainty, in-house legal teams are running lean and facing increased scrutiny and unique issues, but can step up and find innovative ways to manage outcomes and capitalize on good business opportunities, says Tim Parilla at LinkSquares.
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What Associates Need To Know Before Switching Law Firms
Excerpt from Practical Guidance
The days of staying at the same firm for the duration of one's career are mostly a thing of the past as lateral moves by lawyers are commonplace, but there are several obstacles that associates should consider before making a move, say attorneys at HWG.
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Cannabis Supercenters: Key Benefits And Legal Issues
Barstow, California’s novel plan to convert an abandoned mall into a cannabis supercenter could offer a potential blueprint for cannabis companies to thrive in a saturated market and for communities to repurpose underutilized retail spaces — but certain financing, zoning and leasing issues will need to be assessed, says Christopher Gordon at Fox Rothschild.
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A Case For Sharing Mediation Statements With Counterparties
In light of a potential growing mediation trend of only submitting statements to the mediator, litigants should think critically about the pros and cons of exchanging statements with opposing parties as it could boost the chances of reaching a settlement, says Arthur Eidelhoch at Eidelhoch Mediation.