Jay-Z’s cannabis brand, Monogram has been accused of illegally shipping weed and gender discrimination.
The accusation was made by the former Vice President at The Parent Company (TPCO), which produces Monogram cannabis, Cathi Clay – who filed a lawsuit last month alleging the company has been illegally shipping pot from California to New York.
In the lawsuit filed in Santa Clara County on February 16, Clay claims TPCO executives shipped cannabis ‘to New York for a Monogram event with Shawn Carter,’ which is a violation of both federal and California laws.
The lawsuit also claims Clay endured years of gender and sex-based harassment at the company, and cited TPCO’s Chief Financial Officer Mike Batesole as one of the major offenders.
Clay alleges Batesole acted ‘aggressive’ and ‘demeaning’ towards her throughout her time with the company. He also allegedly ‘publicly questioned Ms. Clay’s abilities’ and told her she was being treated differently because she ‘used to ‘be nicer,’ according to the lawsuit.
The former VP says her treatment only worsened after she warned company executives that financial filings with the SEC in 2021 and 2022 contained “outright inaccuracies in the financial records.”
She says she filed a whistleblower report in August 2022 and then resigned the next day. According to the lawsuit, she was “harassed and discriminated against” for reporting the financial and legal violations and was ultimately forced to resign from the company.
In a statement to SFGate, TPCO disputes the lawsuit allegations.
“The company does not comment on active litigation and plans to defend itself strongly against the false accusations,” a spokesperson said.
TPCO, which Jay-Z serves as the chief visionary officer for have until March 16 to respond. An initial court hearing in this case has yet to be scheduled.
