Hashish retailer MedMen plans to ask a choose Wednesday for permission to subpoena Gov. Kathy Hochul’s workplace, in response to New York State Supreme Court docket data.
MedMen needs to search for proof that Hochul and her workplace forced the company to sell its New York operations as a favor to political contributors. Hochul’s workplace has strongly denied the allegation.
Final month, MedMen alleged in New York State Supreme Court docket that Hochul’s administration used improper affect in December to assist leisure pot vendor Ascend Wellness seal its $75 million deal to purchase a majority of the MedMen marijuana dispensary chain’s New York enterprise.
MedMen’s lawsuit alleges that Hochul’s workplace pushed regulators on the Workplace of Hashish Administration and its Hashish Management Board to OK the controversial deal after dragging their ft for practically a yr — simply days after one in all Ascend’s executives attended a fundraiser for Hochul’s reelection marketing campaign, the go well with clams.
MedMen had agreed to promote its New York operations a yr in the past. However these New York operations have seemingly risen in worth throughout the previous couple of months since Hochul has fast-tracked the rollout of cannabis retailers. So MedMen seemingly wished the deal to run out, which it will have on Jan. 1 if state officers hadn’t taken motion.
The request to Decide Margaret Pui Yee Chan is to subpoena the Governor’s Workplace for any data pertaining to a Dec. 8 Hochul fundraiser focused to the hashish business. MadMen needs to see who attended and contributed.
MedMen alleged final month that Ascend President Andrew Brown was on the fundraiser and that Ascend CEO Abner Kurtin met with Hochul representatives two days later — elevating “a transparent inference of improper affect by Ascend on the state approval course of,” MadMen claimed.
MedMen additionally needs to see any communications that exists between Hochul’s workplace and Ascend regarding the Hashish Management Board — and communications between her workplace and the Hashish Board.
Since final month’s submitting, there have been totally different variations about what occurred: A spokesman for regulation agency Feuerstein Kulick, which organized the Hochul fundraiser, informed The Publish that Ascend’s Brown was not on the occasion.
The Publish did discover that Ascend made three contributions to Buddies for Kathy Hochul on Oct. 28, totaling $15,000, in response to the New York State Board of Elections.
A Hochul spokeswoman informed The Publish final week that “These [MedMen] allegations are stuffed with falsehoods,” saying that “not one of the Governor’s senior staff members named right here have ever met with these people [from Ascend].”
