A founder of a central Oregon marijuana company says a former business partner encouraged anti-Semitic attacks against him online after their relationship soured amid significant crop losses, according to a lawsuit filed this month in Deschutes County Circuit Court.

Aviv Hadar, CEO of Oregrown, is asking the court to order Justin Crawn and his nephew, Jordan Crawn, to stop harassing him online. He is seeking $700,000 in damages.

The lawsuit is one of two legal claims related to Oregrown and grower Justin Crawn. In a separate lawsuit filed last month, Oregrown accuses Crawn of defamation and trademark infringement among other allegations. It claims that Crawn's inability to produce "marketable flower with any sort of consistency" cost the company millions of dollars. It seeks $2.6 million.

"Many of the crops grown under Crawn's care were complete losses in terms of producing shelf-worthy flower," the lawsuit claims.

Oregrown operates an 84-acre production facility in Deschutes County and a retail store in downtown Bend. The business has an active retail license for a Eugene store as well and has submitted applications for stores in Portland and Cannon Beach, according to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission.

It also holds state licenses for processing, production and wholesale operations.

Its processing license was suspended in August for violating state rules regarding hemp, according to the commission. The suspension extends until Oct. 5.

Crawn is listed as an interested party on Oregrown's retail licenses. That means he owns or controls at least 10 percent of the business.

Hadar's lawsuit says Justin Crawn was a grower in Oregon's medical marijuana program with a track record of successfully operating small-scale grow sites when he was brought into Oregrown to oversee production.

But the business saw multiple crop failures under Crawn and, according to the lawsuit, Hadar and his partners early this year approached Crawn with the idea of separating from the company.

After the meeting, Crawn returned to the production site and removed cannabis seeds and plants that had been entered into the state's tracking system, the lawsuit alleges.

Sometime after that, Crawn returned to the facility with his nephew and "ransacked" the place, taking plants and specialized lights, the lawsuit claims.

Justin and Jordan Crawn could not be reached Tuesday for comment.

The Crawns later engaged in a "virulent campaign of harassment" that has "spiraled into incitement of naked anti-Semitism and threats of violence," Hadar's lawsuit claims.

Hadar claims Crawn published "blatant lies" on social media, including accusations that Hadar "ordered the sale of mold-contaminated cannabis."

The attacks devolved into a "campaign of hate, anti-Semitism, intimidation and violent threats" as others on social media chimed in on the posts, the lawsuit states.

Hadar's reputation suffered and he fears he and his wife and their young child will be victims of a hate crime, according to the lawsuit.

Members of Oregon's marijuana industry "have stated that they will no longer do business with Oregrown or Mr. Hadar," the suit says.

-- Noelle Crombie

503-276-7184

@noellecrombie