Oregon Weed Activists Travis and Leah Maurer Have $1M Lawsuit Dismissed

Travis and Leah Maurer, the owners of The Weed Blog emerged victorious, or rather unscathed, in a $1M lawsuit filed against them, which was dismissed on September 16, 2020 according to Oregon Live. 

The suit, originally filed in 2016 by a business associate, alleged Travis Maurer of fraud and misuse of funds. 

The former business associate who sued them, Randy Quast, originally sought $1M in damages, has now agreed to pay the Maurer’s $100,000 to settle the lawsuit, according to settlement papers provided last week to The Oregonian/OregonLive by the Maurers' attorney, Andrew DeWeese. Quast had originally sought seven figures from the Maurer's, but the Maurer's countersued and Quast ultimately agreed to pay them.

As part of the settlement agreement, Quast offered this written statement:

“I’ve dropped my claims against Travis and Leah Maurer. After learning additional facts in discovery, I now realize that this dispute was based on a misunderstanding. I regret the hardship this matter has caused the Maurers.”

The Maurers also offered their own written statement: “We regret the misunderstanding between us that led to the two lawsuits. Now we can return our full attention to the important social and political issues that are part of the fight to end the drug war in our country.”

With a colorful backstory that’s made for TV or perhaps the big screen, Travis & Leah Maurer are credited, by some, as the two people most responsible for bringing legalized marijuana to Oregon. 

Like Travis, Leah is also a cannabis activist and journalist. She played an integral role as an outspoken mother for the Yes on Measure 91 campaign, which successfully legalized cannabis in Oregon. 

Of course, Marijuana activism had been around Oregon for decades. The state was the first to decriminalize possession of small amounts in 1973, and in 1998 it was among the first states to legalize medical marijuana. Cannabis growers have developed a thriving industry, particularly in Southern Oregon, and some estimates put the value of the state’s marijuana business at $1 billion a year.

However, Oregon’s homegrown activists weren’t the savviest and didn’t understand how to relate to average voters. They lost a 2010 measure to legalize medical marijuana. In 2012, while Washington and Colorado voters became the first in the nation to legalize recreational marijuana, a more radical legalization measure lost in Oregon.

The Maurer’s sparked the movement’s turn into a powerful political force in Oregon.

“If it wasn’t for Travis, I don’t think we would have gotten to this point,” says Adam Davis, a Portland pollster whom Maurer hired. “He’s not bashful, and he’s willing to make the tough calls. He’ll sit in a waiting room until someone sees him. He’s like a guy out of the movies. He was just determined to do this.”

Measure 91 successfully legalized cannabis in Oregon in 2014. 

Thanks Travis and Leah!