A class-action lawsuit with broad implications for outdoor cannabis growers and their neighbors is approaching a pivotal moment, three years after it was filed in Santa Barbara County Superior Court.
The plaintiffs in the case are Pence Vineyards & Winery, at 1909 West Highway 246; and Quantum Wines, the indoor and outdoor tasting rooms at that location. The defendants are Santa Barbara Westcoast Farms, a 50-acre outdoor cannabis operation across the road, at 1800 West Highway 246; and Scott Rudolph of La Jolla, a Westcoast manager.
Blair Pence, the owner of the vineyard and tasting rooms, alleges that the smell of pot from Westcoast has driven away his customers, lowered his property values, and exposed him to “noxious odors and harmful chemical compounds,” court records show. He claims that the visitors to his indoor and outdoor tasting rooms dropped from 7,600 in 2021, when Westcoast began operations, to 3,300 last year.
A table of the monthly net sales of wine for Quantum Wines, included in court files, shows an overall decline from a peak of $113,00 in October 2021 to $44,000 in October 2024…