Nossaman Team Highlighted for Favorable SweetFlower Settlement

Artin Shaverdian and John Flynn were highlighted for their representation of SweetFlower in the Law360 article “Calif. Pot Cos. Settle Application Suit With Pasadena” (subscription required). The article provides an overview of how Artin, John and Gabriela were able to reach a favorable settlement for SweetFlower in multiple lawsuits against the City of Pasadena, which charged that the city staff had “applied a tortured, nonsensical interpretation" of Pasadena's cannabis ordinance denying SweetFlower a CUP to operate a retail store, a licensing process that at least one city council member deemed a failure.

SweetFlower filed multiple lawsuits toward the City including against competitors who were awarded a CUP. When the City finally amended its ordinance which allowed SweetFlower to secure a CUP and open a retail store, other cannabis companies brought similar lawsuits against the city and SweetFlower. Our team successfully prosecuted five suits against the City and competitors and defended at least three suits brought by others before a favorable settlement was reached.