Five proposed antitrust class actions brought by buyers of CCell brand cannabis vape accusing the Chinese manufacturers and U.S. distributors of organizing a price-fixing scheme will be consolidated in California federal court, the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation has determined.
In an Oct. 1 transfer order, the panel found all the actions involve common questions from allegations that the defendants —manufacturers Shenzhen Smoore Technology Co. Ltd. and Smoore International Holdings, and distributors 3Win Corp., Jupiter Research LLC, Canna Brand Solutions and Greenlane Holdings Inc. — schemed to raise the price of closed cannabis oil vape systems.
The plaintiffs all claim the defendants agreed to create a minimum price floor for the vape products and prevent the purchase of competitors’ products, while sharing price and customer information with each other, the order states. Four of the suits are brought by proposed classes of indirect purchasers, and the fifth is a consolidated action brought by direct purchasers.
Direct purchasers Earth’s Healing and Redbud Roots are represented by Christopher L. Lebsock, J.R. Hamilton and Nathaniel C. Giddings of Hausfeld LLP, and Joshua H. Grabar of Grabar Law Office.
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