A Seattle attorney warned hundreds of industry insiders at a business conference on Tuesday that liability lawsuits are a real danger, especially when it comes to edibles.
“Product liability is the anti-Christ,” Hilary Bricken, a lawyer with the Canna Law Group, said during a panel discussion at an edibles symposium in Denver hosted by the National Cannabis Industry Association.
Bricken singled out several lawsuits in which consumers sued and won multi-million dollar decisions over major corporations, even though the companies adhered to strict policies to avoid suits over product liability. In one famous case Bricken mentioned, a woman was burned by hot coffee from McDonald’s, sued, and was awarded $3 million by a jury.
The same thing could happen to an edibles company, Bricken warned, if a consumer over-indulges and someone gets hurt. She said it’s more than likely that such lawsuits will arise in the future for marijuana companies as edibles become a more integral part of the growing cannabis industry.
“This is not a conspiracy. Any business in this nation has had to deal with these issues,” Bricken said. “To avoid a lawsuit… I highly recommend exploring products liability.”
Factors that can lead to lawsuits include shoddy manufacturing practices, design defects and faulty labeling, Bricken said.
