Donald Hubbard, an active lawyer for the trouble Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission (“CCC”) filed a shocking, 50+ page lawsuit on Wednesday against the agency suggesting a number of high-ranking CCC staff, over a period of years, engaged a patter of coverups, abuse, retaliation and discrimination.
In a stunning allegation, Hubbard –an Associate General Counsel at the CCC– also alleges in his lawsuit that a CCC lawyer, and Chief Of Staff, Andrew Carter was “far from candid” with investigators from the office of State Auditor Diana DiZoglio.
This “lack of candor” was related to Carter telling the Auditor’s investigators a CCC staff member left for a “dream job,” when in fact, according to Hubbard’s complaint, that staff member left for a lower paying job as a result of Carter’s behavior.
“During one meeting with the Auditor’s team, there were two occasions where Carter was far from candid: (1) letting me twist in the wind trying to explain why they had not received detailed invoices for approximately a year from the then-outside counsel, when Carter knew the answer the whole time, and (2) when he inaccurately stated that Kristina Gasson left her GC position because she had gone to her “dream job” elsewhere,” Hubbard states on page 6 of his lawsuit.
Read the full complaint here (case number 2682CV00898, Norfolk Superior Court) – https://drive.google.com/file/
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A section of the lawsuit filed by CCC lawyer Donald Hubbard in Norfolk Superior Court on August 5, 2026.
The lawsuit, filed by Hubbard against the CCC, CCC lawyers Andrew Carter (also the agency’s Chief Of Staff), Kajal Chattopadhyay (the CCC’s General Counsel), Michael Baker (current CCC Deputy General Counsel and a former staffer on Beacon Hill’s Joint Cannabis Policy Committee), and Debbie Hilton-Creek (former acting agency Executive Director and current CCC Chief People Officer).
“Hilton-Creek, Chattopadhyay, Baker and Carter individually conspired in a campaign of sustained harassment to first suspend me with pay from the CCC, then to suspend me without pay at the CCC, and finally recently to attempt to constructively terminate my employment at the CCС,” one count of the complaint alleges.
The CCC, over recent years, was of course subject to extensive internal turbulence, leading to a major 2025 legislative overhaul of the regulatory juggernaut (the agency generates billions of dollars in revenue for the state each year).
As detailed extensively on this feed, former CCC Chair Shannon O’Brien was subject a brutal campaign of retaliation and harassment for attempting to reform similar allegations of systemic corruption (and abuse of staff members) with the agency).
A Spokesperson for the CCC, when reached for comment Thursday, said, “The Cannabis Control Commission cannot comment on pending litigation or internal personnel matters.”
A request for comment has also been sent to the State Auditor’s office.
Hubbard’s complaint alleges the following counts;
COUNT I – DISCRIMINATION v. CCC, HILTON-CREEK, CARTER, CHATTOPADHYAY AND BAKER
COUNT II – HOSTILE WORK ENVIRONEMNT v. ССС, HILTON-CREEK, CARTER, CHATTOPADHYAY AND BAKER
COUNT III – RETALIATION v. CCC, HILTON-CREEK, СHАТТОРADHYAY AND BAKER
COUNT IV – VIOLATION OF WHISTLEBLOWER STATUTES v. CCC, HILTON-CREEK, CARTER, CHATTOPADHYAYAND BAKER
COUNT V – VIOLATIONS OF PROTECTIONS ACCORDED TO AN EMPLOYEE TO REBUT PERSONNEL FILE INFORMATION v. CCC, HILTON-CREEK, CHATTOPADHYAY AND BAKER
COUNT VI – INTERFERENCE WITH ADVANTAGEOUS BUSINEES RELATIONSHIP v. CCC, HILTON-CREEK, CARTER, CHATTOPADHYAY AND BAKER
This is a breaking story and will be updated. The allegations in Hubbard’s complaints are just that, and all parties mentioned are presumed not liable, or innocent, as the case may be.
