Whoopi Goldberg’s WhoopFam cannabis company has entered into a legal clash with Paterson, New Jersey’s convicted ex-Mayor Joey Torres, over their stalled efforts to open a recreational marijuana store in the city.
Court documents reveal WhoopFam is countersuing for $167,000 from Torres’ House of HOPE nonprofit for launch costs tied to a retail space it leased under promises of city approval, NJ.com reports. The countersuit comes in response to Torres’ group coming after WhoopFam for $52,000 in unpaid rent after the company stopped payments when the store failed to secure municipal approval.
WhoopFam partnered with Torres’ nonprofit in September 2023 to lease a 1st Avenue building in Paterson for a planned dispensary. The company paid $5,665 in monthly rent for a year but stopped in September 2024 after the city withheld approval to open the space…