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Cannabis
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March 20, 2024
Future Of Judge-Shopping Reform Hazy After Rule Proposal
The policymaking body for U.S. courts provoked a stir last week when it proposed a rule designed to curb "judge shopping," with observers saying that the policy does address one type of the practice but that it remains to be seen if individual federal district courts will be willing to adopt even that limited reform.
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March 19, 2024
Vicente LLP Sues Recruiter Over Fee Demand In Failed Search
Vicente LLP is alleging that a Florida-based recruiter wants money for nothing after a failed search for a corporate attorney to join the cannabis law firm, during which one of the two proposed candidates turned out to be someone Vicente already worked with and later hired in a different role.
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March 19, 2024
Judge Mulls Smoke Shop Group's Push For Tribe's Damages Data
A New York federal magistrate judge is asking the Cayuga Nation and a former smoke shop, shut down on the grounds it was selling cannabis and untaxed cigarettes, to weigh in on whether the tribe must turn over spreadsheets purportedly detailing damages and lost revenues stemming from the shop.
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March 19, 2024
CBD Co. Investor Oral Contract Suit Tossed For Good
A Nevada federal judge has thrown out for good a suit from the co-founder of CBD company CV Sciences Inc. that alleges an investor reneged on a profit-sharing agreement, saying the latest complaint still doesn't establish that the court has jurisdiction over the investor.
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March 19, 2024
McGlinchey Stafford Opens Seattle Office With 3 Attorneys
McGlinchey Stafford PLLC has opened a downtown Seattle office managed by member Heidi Urness, who is co-chair of the firm's cannabis practice group.
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March 19, 2024
NY Cannabis Co. Says Regulators Retaliated For Criticism
A New York cannabis operator is suing the state's Office of Cannabis Management, saying regulators have unfairly targeted her business with a stop-work order in retaliation for public criticism of the OCM's failure to stop activities that go against its rules.
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March 18, 2024
NY Gov. Audits Pot Regulator After Troubled Rollout
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday announced an audit of the Empire State's embattled cannabis regulator to address the rocky implementation of the adult-use marijuana market, which has been plagued by delays, litigation and an explosion of unlicensed sellers.
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March 18, 2024
Construction Co. Can't Dodge Fired Pa. Pot Patient's Bias Suit
A Pennsylvania federal judge has kept alive the crux of a former painter's suit alleging an industrial construction company illegally fired her after she tested positive for pot despite holding a medical marijuana card, finding her collective bargaining agreement doesn't bounce the claim from court.
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March 18, 2024
NJ Panel Upholds Right Of Towns To Regulate Cannabis
A New Jersey town has the right to withhold support for a cannabis retailer seeking a state license to sell marijuana, saying that the municipality has the authority to determine location and density requirements for retail businesses selling pot, a three-judge state appellate panel said in a published opinion Monday.
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March 18, 2024
Developers Say Mich. Township Thwarted Pot Dispensary
A local cannabis advocacy group that includes real estate developers has sued a Michigan township in federal court, alleging elected officials have impeded a proposal to build a medical and adult-use dispensary despite residents' support and additional tax revenue the municipality will reap.
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March 18, 2024
Amyris Gets OK To Settle Pot Co.'s $15M Trade Secret Suit
A Delaware bankruptcy judge has approved biotechnology company Amyris' $15.1 million settlement with cannabinoid manufacturer Lavvan, resolving yearslong litigation and arbitration proceedings alleging the debtor misused its then-business partner's trade secrets.
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March 18, 2024
Catching Up With Delaware's Chancery Court
Multimillion-dollar e-cigarette settlements, $4 billion in stock buybacks and a $6.1 million appraisal tweak were among the big-dollar items logged in the Delaware Court of Chancery's ledger last week. Also on the docket: a Panama port project, a news outlet's defamation case, drone disputes and a flood of mail from Tesla shareholders. In case you missed it, here's all the latest from the Chancery Court.
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March 15, 2024
Harris Urges DOJ To Wrap Pot Review 'As Quickly As Possible'
Vice President Kamala Harris urged the U.S. Department of Justice on Friday to complete its review of marijuana's control status "as quickly as possible," saying it was "absurd" and "patently unfair" to keep the drug in the same highly restrictive tier as heroin.
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March 15, 2024
Appeals Court Rejects Medical Cannabis User's Bias Suit
A Connecticut appeals court refused to reinstate a former teaching assistant's lawsuit accusing a nonprofit of firing her because she has epilepsy, which she treats with medicinal cannabis, saying she failed to overcome the organization's argument that she was fired for being high around children.
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March 15, 2024
Cannabis Sellers Want $6M Fees Refunded From Mass. Town
A group of cannabis retailers are suing Great Barrington, Massachusetts, saying the town has illegally collected nearly $6 million in community impact fees, despite admitting in writing that the companies have caused virtually no costs to the town.
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March 15, 2024
Conservative Law Group Asks Justices To Hear FDA Vape Suit
A free-market advocacy group and a vape industry association are urging the U.S. Supreme Court to upend the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's decision denying a manufacturer permission to sell flavored vapes, arguing that the FDA is "moving the goalposts" when it comes to what kind of data is needed when applying.
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March 14, 2024
Conservative Firm Joins Bias Suit Against NY Pot Regulators
Conservative law group Pacific Legal Foundation has decided to represent a would-be cannabis dispensary that claimed New York state's social equity program discriminated against them because they were white men, filing an amended complaint against state regulators which dropped from the suit words "Caucasian" and "white."
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March 14, 2024
Cannabis Cos. Say Federal Position On Pot Is Irrational
The federal ban on marijuana is plainly irrational and negatively affects operators in state-regulated cannabis markets, depriving them of their constitutional rights, a group of marijuana companies told a Massachusetts federal judge on Friday.
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March 14, 2024
NJ Law Firm Avoids Malpractice Suit Over Texas Kratom Death
A Lone Star State appeals court let the New Jersey-based Oshman Firm LLC off the hook on jurisdictional grounds Thursday in a malpractice lawsuit filed by a Texas father who faulted the firm for not filing a wrongful death lawsuit before the statute of limitations expired.
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March 14, 2024
Ariz. AG Says Delta-8 THC Products Unlawful For General Sale
Arizona's attorney general has issued a formal legal opinion finding that retailers who are not approved to sell marijuana cannot lawfully sell intoxicating products derived from hemp, such as products containing delta-8 THC and delta-10 THC.
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March 13, 2024
Mass. Gov. Announces Pardon Plan For Marijuana Possession
Massachusetts Gov. Maura T. Healey has announced plans for sweeping pardons of misdemeanor cannabis possession convictions, following the directive of President Joe Biden, who urged state executives to follow his lead in pardoning low-level marijuana offenses.
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March 13, 2024
Juul Investor Tells Chancery: 'We Were Trying To Help'
A director of Juul Labs Inc. denied on Wednesday that he kept the company out of bankruptcy in 2022 to profit from his own investments, telling Delaware's Chancery Court that he helped Juul refinance and backstopped millions worth of settlements because he wanted the e-cigarette company to succeed.
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March 13, 2024
Ex-CFO Raided Corporate Funds, Trulieve Suit Claims
Florida's largest medical marijuana company, Trulieve, is suing its former chief financial officer in federal court, claiming he misused his corporate credit card, charging "hundreds of thousands of dollars" for expensive clothing, vacations and attorney fees and fraudulently received reimbursement for personal expenses.
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March 13, 2024
Santa Barbara County Wants Pot Raid Suit Tossed Again
The county of Santa Barbara is asking a California federal court to once again throw out a cannabis farmer's claim that his farm was illegally raided by the sheriff's office, saying the latest complaint still falls short of alleging facts to support the claims.
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March 12, 2024
Patent Deal Brings End To Philip Morris Import Ban
The U.S. International Trade Commission has decided to pull its import ban on a line of Philip Morris heated tobacco products following a settlement of its patent fight with British American Tobacco, over the objections of the agency's own in-house lawyers.
Expert Analysis
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Preparing For Legal Scrutiny Of Data Retention Policies
Two recent cases involving Google and Meta should serve as a call to action for companies to ensure their data retention policies are updated and properly implemented to the degree of being able to withstand judicial scrutiny, especially as more data is generated by emerging technologies, say Jack Kallus and Labeed Choudhry at Kaufman Dolowich.
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Opinion
Attorneys Should Have An Ethical Duty To Advance DEI
National and state bar associations are encouraging attorneys to apply diversity, equity and inclusion practices in the legal profession and beyond, and these associations should take it one step further by formally recognizing ethical duties for attorneys to promote DEI, which could better the legal profession and society, says Elena Mitchell at Moore & Van Allen.
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Data-Driven Insights Are Key To Attracting Today's Clients
As law firm growth slows and competition for clients increases, modern firms must rely on robust data analytics to develop the sector-based expertise and industry insights that clients increasingly prioritize in relationships with counsel, says Lavinia Calvert at Intapp.
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Ghosting In BigLaw: Why Better Feedback Habits Are Needed
Not giving assignments or constructive criticism to junior associates can significantly affect their performance and hours, potentially leading them to leave the firm, but partners can prevent this by asking the right questions and creating a culture of feedback, says Rachel Patterson at Orrick.
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Calif. Ruling Adds Employer Considerations On Email Policies
Following a California appellate court's recent decision disqualifying an attorney in Militello v. VFarm 1509, companies should take steps to explicitly inform employees of email monitoring, as it could affect the admissibility of email evidence if a dispute arises, say Shawn Ogle and David Sarfati at Atkinson Andelson.
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Rebuttal
Law Needs A Balance Between Humanism And Formalism
A recent Law360 guest article rightly questions the pretextual pseudo-originalism that permits ideology to masquerade as judicial philosophy, but the cure would kill the patient because directness, simplicity and humanness are achievable without renouncing form or sacrificing stare decisis, says Vanessa Kubota at the Arizona Court of Appeals.
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Short Message Data Challenges In E-Discovery
As short message platforms increasingly dominate work environments, lawyers face multiple programs, different communication styles and emoji in e-discovery, so they must consider new strategies to adapt their processes, says Cristin Traylor at Relativity.
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Opinion
Thomas Report Is Final Straw — High Court Needs Ethics Code
As a recent report on Justice Clarence Thomas' ongoing conflicts of interest makes evident, Supreme Court justices should be subject to an enforceable and binding code of ethics — like all other federal judges — to maintain the credibility of the institution, says Erica Salmon Byrne at Ethisphere.
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Joint Representation Ethics Lessons From Ga. Electors Case
The Fulton County district attorney's recent motion to disqualify an attorney from representing her elector clients, claiming a nonconsentable conflict of interest, raises key questions about representing multiple clients related to the same conduct and highlights potential pitfalls, say Hilary Gerzhoy and Grace Wynn at HWG.
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Lawyer Discernment Is Critical In The World Of AI
In light of growing practical concerns about risks and challenges posed by artificial intelligence, lawyers' experience with the skill of discernment will position them to help address new ethical and moral dilemmas and ensure that AI is developed and deployed in a way that benefits society as a whole, says Jennifer Gibbs at Zelle.
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Cannabis Considerations In Debt Collection, Credit Reporting
While companies that collect debts arising from cannabis purchases, and consumer reporting agencies that furnish information concerning such debts, may not be governed by consumer protection laws, they should probably act like it by implementing compliance programs that heed state and federal requirements, say Corey Scher and Joshua Horn at Fox Rothschild.
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Don't Forget Alumni Engagement When Merging Law Firms
Neglecting law firm alumni programs after a merger can sever the deep connections attorneys have with their former firms, but by combining good data management and creating new opportunities to reconnect, firms can make every member in their expanded network of colleagues feel valued, say Clare Roath and Erin Warner at Troutman Pepper.
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Interstate Cannabis Commerce May Be In Reach, With Caveats
California is the latest state to lay the groundwork for interstate cannabis commerce agreements, which may offer a solution to the overabundance of product in legal adult-use markets and survive constitutional challenges — but even then, obstacles to a national market will remain, say Adam Horowitz and Harry Berezin at Goodwin.
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Without Stronger Due Diligence, Attys Risk AML Regulation
Amid increasing pressure to mitigate money laundering and terrorism financing risks in gatekeeper professions, the legal industry will need to clarify and strengthen existing client due diligence measures — or risk the federal regulation attorneys have long sought to avoid, says Jeremy Glicksman at the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office.
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Calif. Ruling May Sow Seeds Of Cannabis Patent Precedent
This 4/20, the cannabis industry can celebrate a California federal court’s first-of-its-kind ruling in Gene Pool Technologies v. Coastal Harvest — holding that the illegality doctrine did not bar a patent infringement claim — which may sow the seeds of precedent for enforcing cannabis-related IP rights, say attorneys at Seyfarth.