Former Dana Point Pot Dispensary Owner Wins Appeal

The owner of a former pot dispensary in Dana Point does not have to pay the city nearly $3 million just yet, a state appellate court ruled this week.

According to the Orange County Register, the Fourth District Court of Appeal overruled an earlier court decision that Garrison Williams owed the city $2.68 million for running a business called Holistic Health.

The judge in the first case found -- without having a trial -- that Holistic Health was operating against the law as a for-profit operation.

But the appellate panel this week found it wasn't perfectly clear whether Williams' business was for-profit or nonprofit medical marijuana dispensary, the Register reported. That meant the judge in the first case should have had a trial.

The next move is the city's, according to the Register. Officials can decide whether to take the case to the California Supreme Court for a final ruling or go to trial in Superior Court.