A Superior Court judge has ruled that Treasurer Deborah Goldberg acted unlawfully when she fired Shannon O’Brien from her position as chair of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission, ordering that O’Brien be immediately reinstated.
Goldberg first suspended O’Brien in September 2023 and officially removed her a year later, citing “gross misconduct” after two outside investigations and nearly 20 hours of private meetings. O’Brien challenged the firing in Suffolk Superior Court, and Judge Robert Gordon sided with her, rejecting Goldberg’s claims.
“The question before the Court is not whether [O’Brien] was abrasive, boorish, inconsiderate, ill-tempered, imprudent and/or otherwise unreasonable… Those are simply not grounds that clear the high bar for removal set by the terms of the statute,” Gordon wrote in his decision. He added that Goldberg’s conclusion that O’Brien committed gross misconduct and was unable to discharge her duties “fails on both counts.”
The ruling reinstates O’Brien for the remainder of her term, which runs through August 31, 2027, and entitles her to back pay and benefits from the date of her termination.
A spokesperson for O’Brien’s tells us that she plans to return to her role at the commission as soon as possible.
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