Plenty of celebrities have gotten into the legal cannabis market, from Seth Rogen to Whoopi Goldberg. While some of those brands have thrived, others have faltered. There’s also been no shortage of litigation tied to celebrity weed ventures, including a fresh case involving rapper Xzibit.
The performer, whose real name is Alvin Joiner, is being sued by his ex-wife, who claims he agreed to sell their joint stake in the Brass Knuckles cannabis company without her consent. The sale reportedly included three trademarks and resulted in a payout of over $724,000. Krista Joiner argued in court filings that the backdoor deal violated an automatic restraining order issued as the pair sorted out their assets.
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The lawsuit states the pair co-founded the brand in 2016 and that it was a near-instant success. Krista Joiner is said to have handled much of the behind-the-scenes business work, with Xzibit serving as the public face of the brand.
She alleges she received nothing from the sale and was never consulted.
“To this day, Krista Joiner has not consented to the sale of the Brass Knuckles brand, nor has she been asked by anyone for her consent to any sale or assignment of her community property interest, including her interest in the marks,” the suit reportedly claims.
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Xzibit isn’t the only rapper in hot water over cannabis. A cannabis dispensary in New Jersey co-owned by Ice-T is currently facing litigation over its abrupt closure. The building owner is suing the company over unpaid rent and breach of contract. While Ice-T is not named in the lawsuit, it’s more bad news for the celebrity weed world.
Other stars, including Melissa Etheridge, Jay-Z, and Mike Tyson, have seen their cannabis companies caught up in lawsuits. In other words, celebrity weed may come with star power—but it can also come with plenty of headaches.
