An Oregon judge on Monday agreed to dismiss a whistleblower lawsuit brought against cannabis seed-to-sale tracking software provider Metrc by a former employee.
However, related litigation between Metrc and Marcus Estes, a former executive vice president who accused the company of knowingly allowing “illegal interstate” marijuana sales, is ongoing in Florida.
As MJBizDaily reported, Estes sued Florida-based Metrc in U.S. District Court in Oregon on April 4.
His complaint alleged in part that Metrc fired him after he shared what he believed was “evidence that Metrc was violating (state) and federal law” by tracking but failing to stop or report diversion of cannabis product across state lines.
Meanwhile, Metrc is suing Estes in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.
The company is seeking the return of a $100,000 signing bonus it paid Estes after acquiring his software company, Chroma Signet, in April 2023.
Metrc also is alleging that Estes “breached his non-solicitation agreement” by contacting the company’s customers after his exit, communications that “interfered with Metrc’s business relationships,” according to court records.
That case is ongoing after mediation failed, according to records.
Both parties agree that Estes worked at Metrc for about a year after the April 2023 acquisition.
Because the claims in Estes’ Oregon lawsuit are similar to allegations he made in the Florida case, “dismissal, not transfer or stay, is appropriate,” U.S. District Judge Karin Immergut wrote in the Monday ruling.
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