Photo of Sarah A. Westby

Sarah is the Chair of Shipman’s Cannabis Industry Team and a Partner in our Employment and Labor Practice Group. She advises clients on formation and management of a cannabis business, interpretation of state and federal cannabis laws and regulations, social equity qualifications and partnerships, business-related disputes, employment matters and contracts. Sarah also counsels clients on a wide variety of employment matters, including discrimination, medical leave, sexual harassment, compensation, termination, severance, and workplace safety.  She has significant experience litigating cases in state and federal court and before administrative agencies.  Sarah also serves as the Vice Chair of the Board of Directors for Simply Smiles, Inc., a not-for-profit organization that builds villages of foster homes for Native children in the United States and Mexico.

In April of last year, the Supreme Court held that employees alleging discrimination under Title VII only need to show “some harm” to the terms and conditions of their employment in order to prove that they suffered an adverse employment action, unanimously rejecting the heightened “significant harm” standard followed previously by many lower courts.  The 

New Jersey’s labor peace agreement mandate found in the Cannabis Regulatory, Enforcement Assistance, and Marketplace Modernization (“CREAMM”) Act is the latest target for lawsuit.  

Under the CREAMM Act, a cannabis company must enter a labor peace agreement with a “bona fide labor organization” as a precondition for licensure.  This is not a unique feature of cannabis

On May 23, 2025, a National Labor Relations Board  (“NLRB”) administrative law judge held that a cannabis company violated the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”) by laying off store associates without bargaining the impact with their union, and by directly dealing with employees.

While the decision here is not novel, the fact that an administrative

On May 20, 2025, the United States District Court for the District of Oregon held that the labor peace agreement (“LPA”) mandate, Measure 119, which requires all state-licensed cannabis businesses to sign a labor peace agreement with a labor union, is preempted by the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”) in violation of the Supremacy Clause

On April 14, 2025, a cannabis retailer filed suit to challenge the provision of New York’s cannabis law that requires licensed businesses to maintain labor peace agreements with their workers. The New York lawsuit asserts that certain provisions of the Marihuana Regulation and Taxation Act (“MRTA”) are preempted by the National Labor Relations Act (“NLRA”). 

Last week, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals announced a significant change to the standard by which employers must address disability-related accommodation requests.  In Tudor v. Whitehall Central School District, Case No. 23-665, the Second Circuit held that plaintiffs suing their employers for failure to provide a reasonable accommodation no longer need to prove

With everything going on in the world of cannabis, day-to-day personnel matters can fall by the wayside. International markets are beginning to emerge, bringing the potential for expansion and investment, but also increased competition. Here in the U.S., many anticipated that 2025 would see rescheduling, clarification around hemp manufacture and sales, and perhaps even safe

Join host Dan Schwartz and Sarah Westby, partners at Shipman & Goodwin, as they delve into the latest wage and hour regulations under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). This episode explores the implications of a federal court ruling that struck down recent DOL salary threshold increases, what it means for employers, and how

Today, the DOL’s Final Rule expanding overtime protection in the form of salary threshold increases for FLSA exempt workers takes effect for most employers across the country.  There has been some uncertainty over the past month with three cases pending in Texas federal court challenging the legality of the rule.  On Friday, June 28, 2024

FTC Issues Anticipated Rule Barring Non-Compete Agreements

On Tuesday afternoon, the Federal Trade Commission issued a final rule largely banning non-compete agreements for employees. The rule is intended to go into effect in around four months but will likely be the subject of multiple legal challenges.  

The rule is short in its nature. 

It defines