Trulieve Cannabis Corp. is suing former employees and vendors in Arizona over what it calls “kickback schemes” that gave brands access to shelf space at Trulieve’s 21 dispensaries in the state.
The Florida-based multistate operator filed the civil racketeering lawsuit Aug. 24 in Maricopa County Superior Court, according to Green Market Report, which obtained the complaint.
The defendants include two of Trulieve’s former purchasing managers, Randall Uberecken and Daniel Hirchak, as well as five other cannabis brands: YourWay Cannabis Brands and two of its subsidiaries, Labtronix, doing business as Venom Extracts, and YourWay Cottonwood; Nature’s Wonder, a licensed dispensary chain; and Healing Resources and Consulting Inc., a hemp business.
Ten total defendants are named in the case, according to court records.
The complaint alleges that Uberecken and Hirchak launched a “commercial bribery” scheme as far back as 2020 or 2021, and that each of the companies named in the lawsuit paid the purchasing managers for shelf space at Trulieve’s retail locations.
Trulieve claims that the pair received nearly $1 million in kickback funds that they then deposited into their own individual corporations, CTWWW LLC and YDD LLC.
The lawsuit alleges that the “civil conspiracy” may have included more cannabis brands that agreed to pay the kickbacks in exchange for shelf space.
The complaint accuses the defendants of civil racketeering, fraud, negligent misrepresentation, civil conspiracy, and aiding and abetting, and also includes allegations of consumer fraud against YourWay Cannabis and its subsidiaries, Nature’s Wonder, and Healing Resources. The lawsuit also accuses Uberecken and Hirchak of unjust enrichment and breach of fiduciary.
A hearing has not yet been scheduled, according to the county court.
