Two Maryland workers are suing Curaleaf, a large cannabis company that reported $1.34 billion in net revenue last year, alleging that the company created an “unlawful tip pool” where store associates had to share money they earned with their supervisors.

The two plaintiffs in the case are “budtenders” Gabriella Beck and Ronnie Matthews. Budtenders are employees who work directly with customers on the sales floor, the cash register and drive-thru windows.

Beck worked at the Reisterstown Curaleaf location from April 2024 to February 2025; Matthews has worked at the Curaleaf location in Gaithersburg since December 2021. Curaleaf also has two other stores in Maryland, in Frederick and Columbia, and dispensaries in 13 other states.

Registers at Curaleaf have tip jars for cash, and it’s common practice at some of the Maryland stores, including the one in Reisterstown, for each budtender to have their own jar with their name on it, according to the lawsuit.

Store leads at Curaleaf are tasked with supervising the budtenders, handling customer complaints, accounting for money in the registers and opening or closing stores.

Leads are also responsible for pooling the cash tips from tip jars. They do not typically interact with customers or provide product recommendations.

The tips are divided among budtenders and leads based on how many hours each employee worked that day, according to the lawsuit, but because of how the stores are staffed, leads receive a larger portion of the tips.

Federal labor law prohibits supervisors from taking tips from other employees. The lawsuit, which was filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland last week, alleges that Curaleaf is enriching itself by sharing tips with store management.

Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, employers cannot keep any part of a tip pool, said Sarah Block, an attorney at McGillivary Steele Elkin, an employment law firm.

“Tips are the property of the employee,” Block said, “So it’s not permitted to share your tips with the supervisors and managers, because they’re considered the employer.”

The attorneys are in the process of formally serving the company, Block said. Then Curaleaf will have 21 days to respond. Curaleaf did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Through Block, the plaintiffs declined to comment.

Block said she and the other attorneys on the case are pursuing class action status, which could eventually include more than 75 people.

The lawsuit is seeking back pay and attorneys’ fees for the plaintiffs.