Much Ado About RICO and Cannabis, Part 3
Much Ado About RICO and Cannabis, Part 3
Cannabis litigation is its own thingTwo previous posts (here and here) discussed the McCart v. Beddow case, in which an attorney who was fed up with cannabis grows next to her rural home filed RICO (Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act) claims against dozens of defendants who allegedly participated in a criminal enterprise that damaged her by diminishing her property value, among other things. The defendants aptly described the lawsuit as an “attempt to put some shiny federal lipstick on an otherwise quite beleaguered pig of a state-law nuisance claim.”
The McCart case appears to be wending its way towards settlement. Although motions to dismiss the complaint were filed, the plaintiff never responded to them and the court never addressed the merits. We probably won’t get to see the terms on which the parties settled, as settlements are usually kept confidential.
Meanwhile, the same attorney has filed a similar lawsuit on behalf of property owners in the Lebanon/Albany Oregon area, against various grow defendants. Ainsworth v. Owenby, Case 6:17-cv-1935, D. Or. It will be interesting/important to see how the RICO/nuisance claims hold up this time around.
In the meantime, this case nicely highlights how cannabis litigation can be so different from other litigation; who brings a RICO claim against their neighbors? Which is a perfect segue to tell you how I and three of our other Oregon, Washington and California cannabis litigation lawyers will be putting on a FREE webinar on January 11. Go here for full information and to sign up.
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