California Attorney Helps Define Expert Witness Standards For Cannabis Litigation
Chris Van Hook
California attorney Chris Van Hook, founder of the Clean Green Certified® program, has been working with litigation teams to help bring clarity to these emerging cannabis disputes. Mr. Van Hook, along with his lead investigator Andrew Rondon, provides expert witness and case support services for attorneys handling cannabis-related litigation.
“It was entirely predictable that as legalization expanded, litigation would follow,” said Van Hook. “The cannabis industry has created new business relationships, new contracts, new supply chains, and new expectations. When those relationships break down, attorneys need experts who understand how cannabis is actually grown, processed, handled, valued, and brought to market.”
Cannabis litigation today can involve far more than whether a business was properly licensed or whether a product changed hands. Disputes may center on whether a crop failed because of poor site conditions, insufficient infrastructure, operator error, mishandling by a third party, improper processing, or breakdowns in storage, packaging, distribution, or retail handling.
For attorneys unfamiliar with the technical side of cannabis cultivation and post-harvest handling, those questions can be difficult to evaluate without experienced guidance. “A legal team may have a strong case, but not yet know where the key facts are,” Van Hook said. “A crop loss claim, for example, may look simple at first. But the real question may be whether the failure came from the grow site, the management of the crop, the processing environment, or the way the product was handled after it left the producer.”
Van Hook and Rondon bring a combined 50-plus years of cannabis industry experience, including work involving cultivation, harvesting, drying, curing, packaging, processing, distribution, and product valuation. Their work includes review of outdoor, greenhouse, and indoor operations, as well as processed cannabis products such as oils, vape products, edibles, and infused beverages. Van Hook and Rondon’s practical backgrounds are increasingly important as more cannabis disputes move into civil court. “Cannabis is not just another commodity,” Van Hook said. “The value of a crop or finished product depends on a long chain of decisions, conditions, handling practices, documentation, and market realities. To understand damages or liability, you have to understand that chain.”
Van Hook is also the founder of Clean Green Certified®, one of the longest-running independent cannabis certification programs in the world. Founded in 2004, Clean Green Certified® has worked with operators across multiple U.S. states, Canada, Puerto Rico, and Europe, bringing organic-style standards, compliance review, and independent verification to an industry that remains outside the scope of USDA organic certification. This international experience gives Van Hook a broad view of cannabis operations, documentation practices, compliance systems, and standards of care across different markets.
“Expert witness work in cannabis requires more than general business experience,” Van Hook said. “You need to understand the crop, the facilities, the people, the contracts, the compliance framework, and the market. You also need to be able to explain those facts clearly in a way that can withstand discovery, deposition, and trial.” Van Hook provides support in cannabis-related matters involving:
Crop loss/evaluation
Processing and handling claims
Contracts between farmers and processors
Reviews of cannabis operations
Deposition preparation and trial support and more
As the cannabis industry continues to evolve, Van Hook expects legal disputes to become more common, more technical, and more dependent on qualified expert analysis. “Unfortunately, disputes are part of the growth of any major industry,” Van Hook said. “The important thing is making sure attorneys have access to experts who can help them understand what actually happened, where responsibility may lie, and how to present those findings in a credible way.”
About Chris Van Hook
Chris Van Hook is a California attorney, cannabis compliance professional, and founder of the Clean Green Certified® program, established in 2004. He has worked in cannabis compliance since 2006 and provides expert witness and consulting services for attorneys handling cannabis-related disputes. His work focuses on cultivation, processing, certification, compliance, crop valuation, damages, standard of care, and industry practices.
To learn more, contact:
Law Office of Chris Van Hook
Email: chris@cvanhooklaw.com
Website: https://cleangreencertified.com
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