As each state’s cannabis industry matures past the licensing and permitting phases, expect to see a huge uptick in internal and external issues with cannabis businesses: promising partnerships turn into bitter rivalries, companies go broke, permits and licenses get voided, etc. All of these issues need to be resolved, and many companies or their execs
Here are the most common causes of action that our litigation team sees in and around the cannabis industry. We hope these overviews help our audience not only understand what they can expect if they ever find themselves in litigation, but also what they can and should be mindful of in conducting their businesses to
Succeeding in the cannabis industry is not easy, especially in California. Complex regulation, high taxes, expensive real estate, and competition with the black market are just a handful of factors that challenge cannabis businesses. The majority of players lack sufficient reserves and agility to stay in the game. Due to the substantial upfront costs required
What is an injunction? An “injunction” is an order of the Court that a certain act be done or not be done. There are three types of injunctions: A temporary restraining order (“TRO”) (issued on a temporary, emergency basis); A preliminary injunction (issued on a basis that usually lasts through the end of trial); and
We’ve written extensively about hemp-derived CBD and the myriad issues faced by manufacturers CBD edibles. You can read more about this topic here: Is Hemp CBD Really Unlawful in California? The FDA Issues Hemp-CBD Warning Letters and a Consumer Update Litigation Update: JustCBD Files Motion to Dismiss Class Action Lawsuit CBD Topicals are Not Immune
A couple of months ago I wrote a “Hemp/CBD litigation forecast.” (See here.) One topic of that post was the rise in class actions against Hemp-CBD companies and I noted the consumer class action complaint filed against JustCBD in the Southern District of Florida, Case No. 0:19-cv-62067-RS. The gravamen of the complaint is that JustCBD
Recently, Jonathan Bench wrote about the importance of insurance coverage for your hemp or recreational marijuana business. His first article provided the basic anatomy of such policies and his second discussed the importance of product liability insurance. This post highlights recent litigation in which insurance is at issue, or ought to be. Hemp insurer seeks
As expected, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has continued to increase the number of patents issued containing the words “cannabis” or “marijuana” this year. Because we anticipate that the growing number of patents in this industry and progression of the first cannabis patent lawsuit (covered here, here, here, and here) inevitably will inspire more
With Juul recently in the news and vaping bans going into effect around the country (see our recent coverage here, here, here and here), marijuana companies have been asking us questions about what to expect in the near term. In the midst of this uncertainty, we have been stressing to our clients the importance of insurance coverage
Yes, cannabis is still federally illegal. But no, that doesn’t mean cannabis businesses should act as if federal law doesn’t exist. It does, and it probably applies to any cannabis business. Nevertheless, our cannabis attorneys often hear claims that federal law doesn’t apply. In fact, two questions that I’ve heard numerous times are: If the
