LA Judge: Marijuana Dispensary Landlord Protected

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A Los Angeles judge has barred the city from taking legal action against the landlord of a medical marijuana dispensary that is part of a lawsuit challenging an ordinance that seeks to regulate the clinics.

The Los Angeles Times reports that Superior Court Judge Anthony J. Mohr granted a temporary restraining order Monday to Natural Ways Always. The order affects only that dispensary, but could reassure other landlords that they do not have to evict dispensaries that are in the middle of court proceedings.

The order came after the city attorney's office sent letters last month to 45 landlords warning that they were renting to illegal dispensaries and threatening them with a list of penalties, including daily fines, jail times and loss of the occupancy permit.

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