John SchroyerFlorida-based Trulieve Cannabis Corp. (CSE: TRUL) (OTCQX: TCNNF) has settled a wrongful termination lawsuit brought against it by a former Black operations manager who claimed the company turned a blind eye to safety and sexual misconduct allegations.
The plaintiff, Natchez Dickey, and Trulieve both indicated in Florida federal court filings that they had reached a settlement and that the case would be dropped, Law360 reported. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed in court documents.
Dickey, a Trulieve employee from 2018 to 2022, most recently as a post-harvest manager, was fired two years ago, which he claimed in the lawsuit was in retaliation for federal safety violations he filed with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration after those concerns went unaddressed by Trulieve.
Dickey started reporting safety issues in October 2021, Law360 reported, after he witnessed some employees lose consciousness and become ill while trying to work in a poorly ventilated Trulieve facility room at the same time as contractors were repairing the floor.
Dickey further alleged that marijuana products that were in the same room were not destroyed by Trulieve, despite being contaminated with chemicals. Instead, he alleged, they were mixed back in with other cannabis products and sold to the public.
Dickey also reported on a Trulieve regional manager who he claimed sexually harassed and improperly dated multiple female Trulieve workers and also made a racist comment to Dickey.
After the company allegedly ignored the concerns raised, Dickey began filing reports with OSHA in April 2022. He then took some time off for family medical leave, and not long after he returned to work, he was fired.
Trulieve initially tried to fight Dickey’s claims in court after he filed suit last year, but a mediation session was slated for April 9, and a jury trial was scheduled for this coming July.
Neither parties could be reached for comment by Law360.
