Latest news with #Boies
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
With cannabis industry struggling, Western Mass. sellers and growers seek relief from high court
SPRINGFIELD – Plaintiffs growing, selling and delivering legal marijuana in Massachusetts now have two court decisions against them, but aren't giving up. They seek to overturn a federal law they say strangles their business. They were turned back last week by the United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit. But plaintiffs say their fight against the Richard Nixon-era Controlled Substances Act of 1970 is not over. 'It is fair to assume that we shall seek Supreme Court review,' wrote one of their attorneys, Jonathan D. Schiller of the firm Boies Schiller Flexner. The plaintiffs include Canna Provisions, with stores in Holyoke and Lee; Wiseacre Farms, which grows cannabis in West Stockbridge; Gyasi Sellers, of Springfield, which delivers cannabis; and Verano Holdings Inc. based in Chicago. That company owns Zen Leaf Enfield, at 98 Elm St., in Enfield, Connecticut. The plaintiffs say the 1970 law is an overreach and prevents them from making use of banking services and bankruptcy protection available to most businesses. The U.S. Supreme Court receives 7,000 to 8,000 petitions each term, but hears only about 80 cases. The Boies in the firm's name is that of David Boies, who represented former U.S. Vice President Al Gore during the recount controversy against President George W. Bush in the 2000 presidential election. Boies argued in person when the case came before U.S. District Judge Mark G. Mastroianni in Springfield a year ago. The judge ruled in favor of the U.S. Department of Justice and upheld the Controlled Substances Act. The companies appealed to the First Circuit and a three-judge panel ruled Tuesday, once again in favor of the government. The plaintiffs declined further comment. They sued in 2023, saying that with states legalizing cannabis for recreational use, the 1970 federal law exceeds Congressional power. Making their argument, the companies reached back into history showing that marijuana predates the U.S. Constitution. 'Each of the thirteen original colonies enacted' laws concerning marijuana — 'then known simply as 'hemp'' — some of which 'encouraged (or even required) colonists to grow marijuana,' the suit read. Even the Magna Carta of 1215 created rights concerning hemp cultivation and sometimes even 'made the cultivation of hemp compulsory.' But the appeals judges were unmoved, saying that if left unregulated, the trade in marijuana within states would impact interstate commerce. And Congress has the right to regulate interstate commerce. As a practical matter, federal law makes it harder for marijuana companies to lease farm land for fear of losing federal agricultural supports or to do banking or borrow money. The Massachusetts marijuana industry does $1 billion a year in sales, according to data kept by the Cannabis Control Commission. Commission data says marijuana retails for $125 an ounce these days, down from $416 in 2020. Ryan Dominguez, executive director of the Massachusetts Cannabis Coalition trade association, said 30 Massachusetts cannabis businesses closed in the last year. Regulation is expensive, he said. And every neighboring state except New Hampshire has legalized recreational marijuana. Many of those states have tailored their laws – such as limits on how much customers can buy in one transaction – to compete with Massachusetts. The federal law means none of them can take federal tax deductions, he said. And if they want to go out of business, they can't claim bankruptcy protection. The bankruptcy issue is something the lawsuit could fix if it reaches the Supreme Court, Dominguez said. 'A lot of these people would have to declare personal bankruptcy,' he said. And that means they would lose personal assets in addition to the business. Placing pigeons in the park on purpose in Springfield Cause detailed for February train derailment in Wendell 'Global order has been upset': World Affairs Council gauges tariff war impact on Western Mass Read the original article on MassLive.
The Hindu
15-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Rumble hires litigator David Boies in Google antitrust lawsuit ahead of trial
Video sharing platform Rumble is adding famed litigator David Boies to its trial team in a federal lawsuit accusing Alphabet's Google of suppressing online video competition, a court filing showed. Boies will work with a group of attorneys from law firm Cadwalader, including Nicholas Gravante Jr, a former longtime colleague of Boies at his firm Boies Schiller Flexner. Rumble in 2021 sued Google for more than $2 billion in damages in the Oakland, California, federal court, accusing it of monopolising the online video platform market. The lawsuit said Google rigged user searches to give preference to Google's YouTube platform over Rumble. It also accused Google of scheming with device makers to bar Rumble from being preinstalled on some Android phones. Gravante in a statement said he welcomed the chance to work again with Boies "on this most important matter." He called Boies an "incredible addition" to the trial team. Boies, Rumble and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Google has denied Rumble's claims and asked U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam Jr to rule for the company and end the case before trial, which is set for July. Google's legal team includes Williams & Connolly partner John Schmidtlein, who has defended the company in several high-stakes legal fights. Boies came to prominence as a lawyer for the U.S. government in its 1990s landmark antitrust case against Microsoft, and for representing Democrat Al Gore in his unsuccessful U.S. Supreme Court fight with George W. Bush for the presidency in 2000. He is separately representing plaintiffs suing Google for allegedly violating consumer privacy. Gravante practiced at Boies Schiller for more than 20 years and was a leader of the firm before leaving in 2020 for Cadwalader. He and Boies also worked together years earlier at Wall Street firm Cravath. Some of Gravante's clients included former Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg, and Joe Biden's son Hunter in an investor dispute. Cadwalader is one of nine prominent law firms that struck deals with the Trump White House to avoid a punishing executive order that threatened to disrupt business operations. Four other firms that were hit with such orders have sued the administration.
Reuters
14-05-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Rumble hires litigator David Boies in Google antitrust lawsuit ahead of trial
May 14 (Reuters) - Video sharing platform Rumble is adding famed litigator David Boies to its trial team in a federal lawsuit accusing Alphabet's Google of suppressing online video competition, a court filing showed. Boies will work with a group of attorneys from law firm Cadwalader, including Nicholas Gravante Jr, a former longtime colleague of Boies at his firm Boies Schiller Flexner. Rumble in 2021 sued Google for more than $2 billion in damages in the Oakland, California, federal court, accusing it of monopolizing the online video platform market. The lawsuit, opens new tab said Google rigged user searches to give preference to Google's YouTube platform over Rumble. It also accused Google of scheming with device makers to bar Rumble from being preinstalled on some Android phones. Boies, Rumble and Google did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Gravante declined to comment. Google has denied Rumble's claims and asked U.S. District Judge Haywood Gilliam Jr to rule for the company and end the case before trial, which is set for July. Google's legal team includes Williams & Connolly partner John Schmidtlein, who has defended the company in several high-stakes legal fights. Boies came to prominence as a lawyer for the U.S. government in its 1990s landmark antitrust case against Microsoft, and for representing Democrat Al Gore in his unsuccessful U.S. Supreme Court fight with George W. Bush for the presidency in 2000. He is separately representing plaintiffs suing Google for allegedly violating consumer privacy. Gravante practiced at Boies Schiller for more than 20 years and was a leader of the firm before leaving in 2020 for Cadwalader. He and Boies also worked together years earlier at Wall Street firm Cravath. Some of Gravante's clients included former Trump Organization Chief Financial Officer Allen Weisselberg, and Joe Biden's son Hunter in an investor dispute. Cadwalader is one of nine prominent law firms that struck deals with the Trump White House to avoid a punishing executive order that threatened to disrupt business operations. Four other firms that were hit with such orders have sued the administration. The case is Rumble v. Google, U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, No. 4:21-cv-00229-HSG. For Rumble: Nicholas Gravante, Philip Iovieno and Danielle Tully of Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft; David Boies of Boies Schiller Flexner; Robert Dickerson Jr of the Competition & Policy Law Group For Google: John Schmidtlein and Stephen Fuzesi of Williams & Connolly, and David Kramer of Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati Read more: Google seeks to limit reach of US judge's digital ads ruling Google asks US appeals court to overturn app store verdict Google blasts $217 mln legal fee bid at hearing in US privacy case Google privacy lawsuits pile up after court denies class action
NZ Herald
30-04-2025
- NZ Herald
Prince Andrew should ‘apologise and come clean', says Virginia Giuffre's lawyer
He paid her an estimated US$12 million ($20m) but has always denied the allegations, insisting he had no recollection of meeting her. Giuffre, 41, died by suicide at her home in Perth, Western Australia, last week. The mother of three had been one of the most prominent accusers of sex offender Jeffrey Epstein and was credited with his downfall. Boies said that following her death, the Duke should 'do the right thing'. 'I'd like to have him say, 'I'm sorry',' he told Piers Morgan Uncensored. 'He sort of said that, but I'd like him to be more direct about that. 'He may not remember that it was Virginia, but he can't forget the event. And he needs, I think, to just come clean.' In a statement filed through the New York court as part of the settlement deal, the Duke pledged to 'demonstrate his regret' for his association with Epstein by supporting the 'fight against the evils of sex trafficking, and by supporting its victims'. The statement said: 'Prince Andrew has never intended to malign Ms Giuffre's character, and he accepts that she has suffered both as an established victim of abuse and as a result of unfair public attacks. 'It is known that Jeffrey Epstein trafficked countless young girls over many years. Prince Andrew regrets his association with Epstein, and commends the bravery of Ms Giuffre and other survivors in standing up for themselves and others.' Boies said that with the statement, the Duke had come 'pretty close' to accepting responsibility, describing it as a step in the right direction. 'It's not too late for him' 'I think I hoped, and I think Virginia hoped, that he would take the next step as well,' he said. 'It's not too late, for him or for anyone.' Boies said that even if the Duke did not remember what had happened, he needed to recognise that he 'clearly' had sex with young girls with Epstein. 'He needs, I think, to just come clean… Continuing to deny he didn't know he'd never met [Ms Giuffre], he had had nothing to do with her. That's not productive. It's also not right.' Asked whether the King should intervene and urge the Duke to speak out, Boies said: 'I think family should urge family to do the right thing. Family is very important here.' The lawyer acknowledged Prince Andrew was in a difficult position and faced the prospect, albeit unlikely, of a criminal investigation if he made any kind of admission. He also conceded that any public acknowledgment of her death would likely backfire. 'I think we have to recognise how complicated it would be for him to say anything at this point,' Boies said. 'On the one hand, I think he will be criticised for not saying something; on the other hand, almost everything he said would probably be attacked.' Boies said he felt sadness, anger and regret on Giuffre's death. 'Without her courage, Jeffrey Epstein would probably still be abusing young girls,' he said. He revealed that when he first met Giuffre he made her take a lie detector test to test her claims before going on to work on her case for free. The Duke has been contacted for comment.
