Cathi Clay, a former vice president at The Parent Company (TPCO), a San Jose cannabis company that produces the Monogram brand, made the explosive allegations in a lawsuit last month. Clay alleges that TPCO executives harassed and discriminated against her because of her gender and then retaliated after she filed a whistleblower report regarding financial inaccuracies and violations of state cannabis regulations.
TPCO manufactures cannabis products, owns 11 retail cannabis locations in California, and employs more than 650 people, according to Securities and Exchange Commission financial reports. The company produces multiple cannabis brands, including Monogram, the official cannabis brand for the musician Jay-Z and his Roc Nation record label. Shawn Carter, Jay-Z's legal name, serves as the chief visionary officer for TPCO, according to an SEC filing. Monogram has worked with major recording artists, including Jadakiss, 2 Chainz, and Curren$y.
TPCO told SFGATE the lawsuit's allegations are "false." "The company does not comment on active litigation and plans to defend itself strongly against the false accusations," a spokesperson wrote in an email.
Roc Nation did not respond to multiple SFGATE requests for comment. A representative for Shawn Carter could not be reached. David S. Ratner, an attorney for Clay, declined to provide SFGATE with documented evidence of the lawsuit's claims. "We are not comfortable sharing evidence at the early stage of this litigation. Let it suffice to say that we have concrete, irrefutable proof of each allegation in the Complaint," Ratner wrote in an email.
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