Investors in the Harmony Foundation Dispensary in Secaucus seek to force out its President Shaya Brodchandel who is also the NJ Cannabis Trade Association’s (NJCTA) President.
He has been entangled in a lawsuit launched last October. It questioned his decision to invest in an Israeli company and the firing of Robert Moroni.
Moroni, part of the group of investors, won his job back.
While Harmony of Secaucus was among the six dispensaries initially licensed under Christie in 2011, they did not open their doors until 2018.
Harmony Dispensary Problems
The Israeli company is also called Harmony and is run by Shaya’s brother, Alexander. Shaya said he was not one of the owners of that company. However, investors said an invoice from an architect for the Israeli Harmony was an owner of Harmony Foundation of Secaucus.
According to NJ.com, the group that brought the suit against Brodchandel wants David Knowlton to be CEO. He was a former Department of Health official under former Governor Chris Christie. Knowlton was previously the owner of the Botanist and owned by Acreage Holdings in Egg Harbor. He would replace Shaya Brodchandel as head of Harmony Foundation.
The investors are accusing Brodchandel of not paying and hiring cronies for make-work jobs. And not complying with the court’s decision to grant them more control of the company.
“Secaucus Investors has been making ridiculous accusations and desperately trying to gain control of Harmony’s highly successful operations. Shaya Brodchandel, as the CEO and President of the Board of Harmony Dispensary, has remained focused on providing continuous access for those in need to high-quality cannabis products,” said his spokesman, Steve Lennox. “We look forward to defeating Secaucus Investors in court and will not be distracted from our important mission.”
Lennox defended the company. He noted they are working on medical cannabis affordability and training minorities to work in the industry.
NJ Cannabis Trade Association (NJCTA) Issues
Brodchandel has been operating the location in Secaucus, which will only allow medical cannabis. They have pending locations in Jersey City and Hoboken, which allow adult-use cannabis sales. However, those locations have yet to open.
While Harmony Foundation was among the six dispensaries initially licensed under Christie in 2011, they did not open their doors until 2018. The State was interested in further investigating them after it found they had ties to the founder of a cannabis training school who had legal issues.
