Portland-based cannabis company settles five-year legal dispute just days before scheduled trial
PORTLAND, OR – June 20, 2025 – LTRMN Inc. today announced the resolution of civil litigation filed in Orange County Superior Court (Case No. 30-2020-01152223-CU-BC-CJC) by former employee Kurtis Michael Magee of Cathedral City, California.
The lawsuit, which related to a separation agreement following the termination of Magee’s brief employment with LTRMN Inc. in July 2019, was settled on June 17, 2025, just days before the scheduled trial date. The parties entered into a Stipulation for Entry of Judgment in the amount of $835,000.00. Kurtis Michael Magee, who was employed by the company for a matter of weeks in 2019, initiated the legal action in July 2020.
The separation agreement at the center of the dispute was negotiated during a period when LTRMN Inc. was exploring a potential transaction with a third-party suitor. When that transaction did not materialize and the company’s ownership subsequently changed hands in 2023, the new ownership team—comprised of the company’s original founders—faced claims under the original separation agreement negotiated by prior management.
The prolonged nature of the dispute proved costly for both Kurtis Magee and LTRMN Inc., with legal expenses reaching into the hundreds of thousands of dollars over the course of the five-year litigation. The case, which centered on the interpretation and enforcement of the separation agreement from Magee’s temporary employment with the company in 2019, required extensive legal proceedings before reaching resolution in the final days before trial.
In a particularly unusual aspect of this case, the principals of LTRMN Inc.’s ownership group, Buchanan Group, are childhood friends of Magee, making the protracted legal battle particularly unfortunate. Despite longstanding personal relationships dating back to their youth, the matter proceeded through years of litigation and hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal fees only to result in settlement.
The development comes as LTRMN Inc. continues to build momentum in Oregon’s cannabis market. The company, which was reacquired by its founding team in January 2023, has since streamlined operations, consolidated its brand portfolio, and finds STICKS poised to take the Oregon market by storm.
The Stipulation for Entry of Judgment was filed with the Orange County Superior Court on June 18, 2025. The case has been resolved, with Kurtis Magee unable to refile the claims against his former employer.
About LTRMN Inc.
LTRMN Inc. is a Portland-based cannabis brand house that operates distribution and wholesale activities throughout Oregon. The company’s flagship STICKS brand is the #1 preroll in the state. LTRMN was founded as one of Oregon’s first recreational cannabis operators and returned to founder control in January 2023 when the Buchanan Group acquired the company from Unrivaled Brands.