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Cannabis
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January 17, 2025
DEA Judge Kicks Pot Rescheduling Back To Administrator
The Drug Enforcement Administration judge who paused hearings on a proposal to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana has kicked the matter back to the agency's administrator after reformers said the DEA stacked the deck against changing pot's status.
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January 17, 2025
Pot Labs Say Mass. Co. Sold Dud Test Devices In $286M Suit
The owners of more than two dozen cannabis testing labs across the United States and Canada have accused PerkinElmer Health Services Inc. of knowingly selling them equipment that it knew was incapable of handling the sort of tests the labs performed.
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January 17, 2025
LPL Fined $18M Over Lax Anti-Money Laundering Compliance
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Friday fined LPL Financial LLC $18 million to settle claims that the firm's anti-money laundering program suffered from significant shortcomings, including the failure to close high-risk accounts such as cannabis-related and international accounts.
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January 17, 2025
Lowenstein Sandler Can Pursue Trimmed Dispensary Fee Suit
A New Jersey state court judge dismissed part of Lowenstein Sandler LLP's $800,000 fee suit against a cannabis dispensary former client Thursday and told the firm it must give the former client the notice of its right to resolve the fee dispute through arbitration.
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January 16, 2025
Former NY Cannabis Regulator Backs Embattled Program
The former leader of New York's cannabis regulator and an architect of the state's marijuana legalization law on Thursday defended the integrity of the agency before a roomful of cannabis attorneys, some of whom have litigated against its core policies.
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January 16, 2025
Swedish Match Wants 'Copycat' Sham Patent Suit Nixed
Swedish Match urged a Virginia federal judge to toss a proposed class action it said largely parrots a since-settled antitrust suit from which consumers can draw no basis for claims the tobacco company used litigation to drive a nicotine pouch rival out of the market.
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January 16, 2025
Md. Gov. Pitches Taxing High Earners, Combined Reporting
Maryland's governor proposed higher income tax rates for people who make more than $500,000 and adopting water's-edge combined reporting for its corporate income tax in his 2026 budget proposal.
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January 16, 2025
1st Circ. Vacates Most Of Atty's Marijuana Bribe Conviction
The First Circuit vacated a pair of fraud convictions for a Massachusetts attorney charged in a marijuana bribery scheme, finding that sending an iMessage through an Apple cellphone is not enough to satisfy the wire fraud element requiring interstate communication.
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January 15, 2025
Mich. US Atty Talks Rooting Out Public Corruption 'Poison'
U.S. Attorney Mark Totten said Wednesday he's proud of his office's work prosecuting Michigan's former speaker for taking bribes from players in the state's nascent marijuana industry, calling the corruption crackdown vital to maintaining a healthy democracy, as he reflected on his time as the top federal prosecutor for the Western District of Michigan.
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January 15, 2025
CBD Oil Co. Says Brokers, Suppliers Lied About Hemp Quality
A New Jersey hemp producer and CBD oil extractor is suing a pair of brokers and hemp suppliers in federal court, alleging that despite promising and charging for high-quality biomass, they instead supplied "dirt quality" hemp with far lower potency than advertised.
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January 15, 2025
Ex-Pot Co. Director Wants Trade Secrets Claims Tossed
A former operations director for Curaleaf Inc. is asking a Colorado federal court to throw out the company's claims that he breached a confidentiality agreement and shared information with a former business partner.
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January 15, 2025
Mass. Justices Bolster Local Enforcement Of Tobacco Laws
Massachusetts' highest court ruled Wednesday that local public health officials do not have to go to court to fine businesses caught violating the state's tobacco laws, including restrictions on the sale of flavored products.
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January 15, 2025
DHS Wants NM Pot Cos.' Property Seizure Suit Tossed
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are urging a New Mexico federal court to toss claims by eight cannabis companies alleging that federal agents wrongfully seized cannabis, money and property at checkpoints.
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January 14, 2025
Cannabis Reformers Split After DEA Judge Cancels Hearings
The cannabis legal and business world was divided Tuesday after a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration judge hit pause on widely anticipated and historic public hearings on the merits of a proposal to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana.
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January 14, 2025
Cannabist Moves Illinois Oil Potency Case To Federal Court
The Cannabist Co. Holdings and its affiliated companies have removed to federal court a suit alleging they make products using highly potent cannabis oils without warning consumers that the amounts of THC are illegal in Illinois.
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January 14, 2025
Insurer Says It Owes No Coverage In Pot Co. Death Suit
Trisura Specialty Insurance Co. has told a Florida federal court exceptions to Trulieve Inc.'s insurance policy relieve it from having to defend the cannabis company from a wrongful death suit.
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January 14, 2025
Curaleaf's Ex-CEO Wants Out Of Ex-VP's Pay, Sex Bias Suit
The former CEO of Curaleaf Holdings Inc. is urging a Massachusetts federal court to toss a former senior vice president's claims against him in a suit alleging the company discriminated against her for her gender and race, saying the state's courts don't have jurisdiction over him.
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January 13, 2025
Amid Claims Of Agency Bias, DEA Judge Nixes Pot Hearings
A Drug Enforcement Administration tribunal on Monday canceled planned hearings on the merits of a proposal to loosen federal restrictions on marijuana so that pro-rescheduling parties can bring their allegations of agency bias straight to the DEA's administrator.
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January 13, 2025
Judge Orders NY Authorities To Halt Raids Of Hemp Stores
A New York state judge on Monday ordered state cannabis regulators and city law enforcement officials to halt certain actions against hemp stores suspected of selling unlicensed cannabis, saying their raids likely represented an unconstitutional government overreach.
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January 13, 2025
NY Dispensaries Say Pot Agencies Broke Proximity Rules
A group of four adult-use marijuana dispensaries are suing New York's cannabis regulators, aiming to vacate the issuance of licenses for four competing dispensaries that they say violate the state's 1,000-foot buffer between outlets.
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January 13, 2025
Mich. Pot Agency Says Processor Violated State Regulations
Michigan's Cannabis Regulatory Agency has filed a formal complaint against a Mt. Morris cannabis processor, saying that it handled hemp isolate without having a license to do so.
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January 13, 2025
Cannabis Co. Again Seeks Dismissal Of Finder's Fee Suit
The Cannabist Co. Holdings Inc. is asking a New York federal court to once again throw out a suit from an associate alleging he is owed $800,000 for facilitating an investment, saying New York law bars oral finder's fee contracts and the claims are still blocked by the statute of limitations.
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January 10, 2025
SEC Fines Cannabis Co. Acreage Over Accounting Violations
A multi-state cannabis industry operator recently acquired by Canadian cannabis industry giant Canopy will pay $225,000 to resolve administrative U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission claims that it orchestrated a $4.2 million round-trip transaction with an affiliate to inflate its reported cash balance.
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January 10, 2025
Instagrammer Wants IP Suit Kept in Nevada Federal Court
Instagram star Dan Bilzerian told a federal judge in Nevada this week that the Silver State is the appropriate venue for his lawsuit against a former chief financial officer of the vape and lifestyle brand he helped start, even though the company is based in Canada.
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January 10, 2025
FDA Tells Justices RJ Reynolds Challenge Belongs In DC Circ.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration urged the U.S. Supreme Court on Friday to send a suit by R.J. Reynolds Vapor Co. and two retailers challenging the denial of a marketing application from the Fifth Circuit to the D.C. Circuit, saying federal law doesn't allow a manufacturer to forum shop by bringing a retailer into its challenge.
Expert Analysis
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Ring In The New Year With An Updated Employee Handbook
One of the best New Year's resolutions employers can make is to update their employee handbooks, given that a handbook can mitigate, or even prevent, costly litigation as long as it accounts for recent changes in laws, court rulings and agency decisions, say attorneys at Kutak Rock.
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What 2024 Trends In Marketing, Comms Hiring Mean For 2025
The state of hiring in legal industry marketing, business development and communications over the past 12 months was marked by a number of trends — from changes in the C-suite to lateral move challenges — providing clues for what’s to come in the year ahead, says Ben Curle at Ambition.
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Series
Group Running Makes Me A Better Lawyer
The combination of physical fitness and community connection derived from running with a group of business leaders has, among other things, helped me to stay grounded, improve my communication skills, and develop a deeper empathy for clients and colleagues, says Jessica Shpall Rosen at Greenwald Doherty.
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Opinion
6 Changes I Would Make If I Ran A Law School
Reuben Guttman at Guttman Buschner identifies several key issues plaguing law schools and discusses potential solutions, such as opting out of the rankings game and mandating courses in basic writing skills.
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How Landlords Can Navigate Cannabis-Related Leases
As the cannabis industry continues to rapidly grow, landlords should consider a variety of lease terms and operational details that may help mitigate uncertainty involving federal laws, zoning restrictions and tax implications, says Kyla Baker at Holland & Knight.
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Firms Still Have The Edge In Lateral Hiring, But Buyer Beware
Partner mobility data suggests that the third quarter of this year continued to be a buyer’s market, with the average candidate demanding less compensation for a larger book of business — but moving into the fourth quarter, firms should slow down their hiring process to minimize risks, say officers at Decipher Investigative Intelligence.
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Think Like A Lawyer: 1 Type Of Case Complexity Stands Out
In contrast to some cases that appear complex due to voluminous evidence or esoteric subject matter, a different kind of complexity involves tangled legal and factual questions, each with a range of possible outcomes, which require a “sliding scale” approach instead of syllogistic reasoning, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Think Like A Lawyer: Note 3 Simple Types Of Legal Complexity
Cases can appear complex for several reasons — due to the number of issues, the volume of factual and evidentiary sources, and the sophistication of those sources — but the same basic technique can help lawyers tame their arguments into a simple and persuasive message, says Luke Andrews at Poole Huffman.
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Series
Gardening Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Beyond its practical and therapeutic benefits, gardening has bolstered important attributes that also apply to my litigation practice, including persistence, patience, grit and authenticity, says Christopher Viceconte at Gibbons.
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What New Calif. Law Means For Cannabis Lounges
With a recently enacted California law authorizing licensed cannabis retailers and microbusinesses to prepare and sell noncannabis food and beverages, the door opens for a more sustainable business model — but challenges related to costs and liability remain, says Tracy Gallegos at Duane Morris.
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Litigation Inspiration: Reframing Document Review
For attorneys — new ones especially — there is much fulfillment to find in document review by reflecting on how important, interesting and pleasant it can be, says Bennett Rawicki at Hilgers Graben.
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Series
Flying Makes Me A Better Lawyer
Achieving my childhood dream of flying airplanes made me a better lawyer — and a better person — because it taught me I can conquer difficult goals when I leave my comfort zone, focus on the demands of the moment and commit to honing my skills, says Ivy Cadle at Baker Donelson.
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Series
Circus Arts Make Me A Better Lawyer
Performing circus arts has strengthened my ability to be more thoughtful, confident and grounded, all of which has enhanced my legal practice and allowed me to serve clients in a more meaningful way, says Bailey McGowan at Stinson.
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3 Ways To Train Junior Lawyers In 30 Minutes Or Less
Today’s junior lawyers are experiencing a skills gap due to pandemic-era disruptions, but firms can help bring them up to speed by offering high-impact skill building content in bite-sized, interactive training sessions, say Stacey Schwartz at Katten, Diane Costigan at Winston & Strawn and Lauren Tierney at Freshfields.
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The Bar Needs More Clarity On The Discovery Objection Rule
Almost 10 years after Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 34 was amended, attorneys still seem confused about what they should include in objections to discovery requests, and until the rules committee provides additional clarity, practitioners must beware the steep costs of noncompliance, says Tristan Ellis at Shanies Law Office.