Jay-z Has 99 Problems, And One of Them is His Cannabis Business.
Licensed and operating out of California, Monogram is Jay-Z’s entry into the cannabis industry – Launched in 2020, Monogram is a cannabis brand focused on premium flower. Not long after its launch into the legal markets, Monogram is reportedly facing accusations of gender harassment and illegally shipping products out of state. A lawsuit alleges that Monogram not only shipped products from California to New York illegally and engaged in gender discrimination, they supposedly filed inaccurate financial reports too.
Sued By A Former Business Partner.
Whos behind the lawsuit? A former Vice President of a company that produces Monogram's bud. Cathi Clay is alleging that The Parent Company (TPCO) engaged in discriminatory harassment because she was a female. She also alleges that she was punished after reporting TPCO for “outright inaccuracies in the financial records” and breaking California state cannabis regulations. The lawsuit reportedly claims that clay faced years of harassment from TPCO’s CEO, claiming he “made many inappropriate comments about women, hiring ‘housewives’ to perform accounts payable, people of colour and skill sets of employees.” Cannabis products were allegedly shipped from California to “New York for a Monogram event with Shawn Carter”, which is federally illegal. Clay’s attorney declined SFGATE’s request for documented evidence of the lawsuit's claims. “We are not comfortable sharing evidence at the early stage of this litigation. Let it suffice to say that we have concrete irrefutable proof of each allegation in the Complaint,” SFGate reports Ratner wrote in an email.
Who Is TPCO?
In California, TPCO has its hands deep into the cannabis industry – 11 dispensaries, cannabis production (of the monogram and many other brands), and employer of over 650 people according to Securities and Exchange Commission financial reports. It's also a publicly traded company on the Toronto Stock exchange.
So, Where Does Jay-Z Come Into This?
According to an SEC filing, Mr. Shawn Carter acts under the title of Chief Visionary Officer at TPCO.
TPCO’S Response
SFGATE reached out to TPCO regarding the case, and was told the lawsuit's allegations are “false.” “The company does not comment on active litigation and plans to defend itself strongly against the false accusations,” SFGate reports a spokesperson wrote in an email. SFGATE could not reach any representative for JAY-Z himself or Roc Nation.
