Law360 has reported on recent briefing in the multidistrict antitrust litigation involving CCell closed cannabis oil vaporization systems and components.
According to the article, direct purchaser plaintiffs Meridian Partners II LLC and Redbud Roots Inc. are opposing dismissal of their amended complaint, which alleges that Shenzhen Smoore Technology Co. Ltd. conspired with four U.S. distributors to fix prices for CCell vape components. The plaintiffs contend that newly developed allegations and evidence show conduct extending beyond ordinary manufacturer-distributor relationships.
Law360 reports that the amended allegations include claims that Smoore and the distributors agreed to minimum pricing, refrained from pursuing one another’s customers, and avoided undercutting one another on price. The plaintiffs further point to communications about the need to “follow the rules,” parallel conduct, written minimum-price policies, market concentration, and alleged conduct contrary to the participants’ independent economic interests.
The plaintiffs also argue that disputed documents and competing inferences concerning the alleged pricing arrangement should not be resolved in defendants’ favor at the pleading stage, and that a jury should ultimately determine how those materials should be interpreted.
Grabar Law Office represents direct purchaser plaintiffs Meridian Partners II LLC and Redbud Roots Inc., together with Hausfeld LLP and Gustafson Gluek PLLC. The case is In re: CCell Closed Cannabis Oil Vaporization Systems and Components Products Antitrust Litigation, No. 3:25-md-03161, pending in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.
A copy of the article can be viewed here: Vape Purchasers Say MDL Complaint Shows Price-Fix Scheme – Law360
