The mother of a teenager who was killed by a weed delivery driver is suing Weedmaps and a California vape shop for their alleged role in her son’s death.
In July 2019, 19-year-old William Benjamin Harris IV and his 17-year-old friend reportedly used cannabis delivery website Weedmaps to order weed from Universal Stop, a Pasadena vape shop. But when Universal Stop delivery driver David Gregorich showed up to make the delivery, he began shooting at the two teens, killing Harris and injuring his friend.
Gregorich was arrested and charged with murder, attempted murder, and firing a gun into an inhabited dwelling. The driver has pleaded not guilty to all counts, claiming that he was forced to defend himself because he thought Harris was trying to rob him. If convicted, Gregorich could face a maximum sentence of life in prison with parole.
Now, Harris’ mother Photon Muur has filed a civil lawsuit accusing Universal Stop and Weedmaps of negligent practices that directly led to her son’s death. In the suit, Muur is alleging that both companies were well aware that Gregorich was carrying weapons while making deliveries, but “failed to provide adequate supervision and training … regarding the use of weapons in deliveries,” Ganjapreneur reports.
The lawsuit also argues that the two companies should have kept a closer watch on Gregorich because he had several previous felony convictions. According to the court documents, the companies should have taken steps to prevent a driver with an “aggressive nature and propensity to harm others” from making deliveries for them while armed with weapons.
Muur is also accusing the two companies of failing to verify Harris’ age. California law only allows adults aged 21 and older to buy weed or have it delivered, and licensed weed retailers are required to verify the age of any individual that they make a sale to. The lawsuit is demanding damages for claims of negligence, battery, assault, and wrongful death, and further accuses the companies of negligent hiring and employee supervision.
The suit demands that the companies provide Muur with both monetary and non-monetary compensation for hardships relating to her son’s wrongful death. These hardships include funeral and memorial expenses, loss of financial support, loss of love and companionship, and punitive damages relating to the incident.
This is not Weedmaps’ first brush with legal trouble in California. In 2018, state weed regulators sent the company a cease and desist letter demanding that they stop advertising unlicensed weed businesses. Weedmaps put up a fight, but eventually agreed to take steps to remove listings for black market shops last year.
