Last November, I wrote this post about a recent case filed by the Securities and Exchange Commission naming cannabis industry players for an alleged stock promotion scheme (or, as some call them, anti-touting violations). Last month, the primary individual defendant, Jonathan Mikula, filed a Motion to Dismiss the claims against him. The other individual defendant, Christian Fernandez, filed his own Motion to Dismiss shortly after.
The case is one to watch given its potential impact on the cannabis industry at large – especially in light of Mikula’s pending Motion to Dismiss – which argues, in part, that the SEC must prove a specific scienter requirement to successfully plead their securities violation claims against him.
What is a stock promotion scheme?
To recap, stock promotion schemes involve scenarios where public companies hire promoters or marketing firms to generate publicity for their stocks, and those promoters or marketing firms publish articles boosting those stocks – while failing to publicly disclose that they’re receiving payments from the companies. Those writers will post seemingly unbiased, glowing articles or reviews about the companies when they’re really nothing more than paid advertisements. Sometimes, the number of articles can get into the hundreds. And sometimes, the articles
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