Good to see Weedweek back doing what they do best..
Anew lawsuit alleges rapper Berner, the longtime face of Cookies, and his allies are trying to wrest control of the brand “while leaving its other shareholders with nothing.”
Cookies has become one of the most recognizable brands in cannabis by following an “asset-lite” model where it licenses its brand to retailers and other licensed cannabis businesses. It has done this through a partnership where Cookies SF, which sells Cookies-branded apparel, licensed the brand-related intellectual property to Cookies Creative Consulting & Promotions . . .
The rest is behind the paywall
Berner “hatched a plan” to stiff Cookies investors, lawsuit alleges
Here’s the google AI summary if you don’t have the inclination to spend money
(Gilbert Milam Jr.), the CEO and face of the cannabis brand Cookies, “hatched a plan” to stiff investors. The legal action claims Berner and his allies are attempting to seize control of the brand while leaving other shareholders with nothing.
- Asset-Lite Manipulation: The lawsuit claims Berner used the company’s “asset-lite” licensing model to benefit himself and his allies at the expense of other investors.
- Self-Dealing: Earlier, similar lawsuits (some settled, some pending) have accused Cookies executives of diverting investor cash into personally owned side companies.
- Kickbacks and Mismanagement: Previous legal filings have alleged that executives received kickbacks from suppliers, used company funds for “lavish lifestyles,” and “cooked the books” of joint ventures like Minntz.
- Financial Instability: Investors from Red Tech Holdings and Gron Ventures claimed in past filings that Cookies “burned through cash” after wildly missing financial targets.
- June 2025: Cookies secured a $22.7 million arbitration award against a retail partner, Cookies Retail (CRE), for unpaid royalties and trademark misuse.
- November 2025: A judge ordered Cookies to redirect its global royalties to settle an $8.4 million judgment with the Cole Ashbury Group, a move executives warned could lead to “immediate insolvency”.
