In addition to the lawsuit filed by former Chair Shannon O’Brien, additional legal actions bring unwanted attention to the agency
Chris Harding, the recently-appointed chair of the Cannabis Control Commission, told reporters that he hopes to oversee the “most boring” agency in Massachusetts. This month, that goal may have moved beyond reach.
Last week, former CCC Chair Shannon O’Brien filed a civil lawsuit against the office of the treasurer, the CCC, and Treasurer Deb Goldberg personally. Meanwhile, Donald Hubbard, an attorney at the Cannabis Control Commission since September 2023, also filed a suit, alleging discrimination and retaliation. And recently-fired agency attorney Steven Laduzinski has an unemployment hearing this week, with subpoenas issued to several top CCC staffers.
The O’Brien suit alleges, among other things, that the treasurer is responsible for her wrongful termination in 2023, a decision that was overturned in a forceful court ruling. The former chair also makes claims involving retaliation and obstruction following her reinstatement. Specifically, the complaint charges that O’Brien’s conflicts with former CCC Executive Director Shawn Collins caused her ouster, and came from her efforts to investigate ties between Collins and licensee Greatest Hits. O’Brien also claims status as a whistleblower for informing the Office of Inspector General in an investigation which culminated with a call to place the CCC under receivership in 2024. (You can read the CCC’s comment regarding the O’Brien lawsuit here.)
Attorney’s suit names top CCC staff
Hubbard’s legal action claims that several disciplinary actions against him constituted retaliation for whistleblowing. The suit names as defendants Chief People Officer Debra Hilton-Creek, General Counsel Kajal Chattophadhyay, Chief of Staff Andrew Carter, and Executive Director Travis Ahern, among others. The six counts include discrimination, retaliation, conspiracy, and violation of whistleblower statutes, which Hubbard alleges applied to him as an informant to the Office of the Inspector General and to O’Brien via Laduzinski.
The Hubbard suit leads with more than 30 pages that claim unfair treatment and retaliation on account of age, a personal tragedy, and the plaintiff’s outspoken adherence to procedure. The complaint describes instances of “gaslighting,” such as browbeating, unreasonable demands, uneven application of policies to individual staff, a sudden three-week suspension, and meetings called without notice or written agendas. It also alleges that Hubbard was passed over for promotions or professional opportunities several times in favor of younger attorneys, and mentions that he filed a complaint with the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination.
Hubbard argues that after ED Collins went on leave in September 2023, the CCC was run by two people: Hilton-Creek, appointed as acting ED, and Carter, who Collins appointed to serve as acting general counsel. The complaint alleges that after Ahern arrived as ED, Hilton-Creek and Carter, who had by then become chief of staff, continued to brandish their power within the CCC, and that GC Chattopadhyay became a tormentor of Hubbard. In addition to missed promotions and professional opportunities, he alleges that he was forced to take three weeks of unpaid medical leave as prescribed by his doctor in October 2025 on account of work stress.
Furthermore, the suit contains some specific HR allegations, like that Hilton-Creek had as many as eight employee complaints lodged against her, and that she arranged the hiring and promotion of one employee as a personal favor to someone. It additionally accuses agency higher-ups of misleading the Office of the State Auditor, and of failing to respond to a subpoena from the US Attorney’s Office.
Dovetailing legal challenges
Hubbard’s plight ties directly into that of Laduzinski, the other whistleblower.
Hubbard’s complaint describes a total of 11 months of punitive Performance Improvement Plans (PIPs), initiated around the time of the confrontations with colleagues over investigations that Laduzinski was conducting. In contemporaneous emails to ED Ahern, Laduzinski claimed that Hubbard was the victim of retaliation for assisting his investigations on behalf of then-Chair O’Brien.
Laduzinski has a hearing with the Department of Unemployment Assistance on Aug. 26. He contests the CCC’s blocking of access to unemployment benefits, as well as inconsistent responses to the DUA. The department has subpoenaed Hilton-Creek, Chattophadhyay, and Ahern, and will call O’Brien to the stand. Laduzinski has alleged that he was fired for conducting internal investigations for the former chair, in particular one into Greatest Hits Cannabis and former ED Collins (you can read the CCC’s stipulated agreement in that matter here.) He also claims to have informed the OIG investigation which led to calls for a receivership.
The Aug. 26 hearing is focused on Laduzinski’s eligibility for unemployment benefits, which depend on whether he was fired for cause or resigned. We previously reported on emails addressed to Laduzinski from a CCC representative that provided confusing statements about his eligibility. Laduzinski was initially told that he could file for unemployment benefits upon first being terminated in April, but the commission later contested his eligibility, leading to the DUA hearing this week.
In response to a request for a statement on these matters, a CCC spokesperson wrote, “The Commission cannot comment on legal or personnel matters.” Donald Hubbard did not respond to requests for comment.
