Missouri Court of Appeals, Southern District / Date unavailable
HIPPOS, LLC, Petitioner-Appellant v. MISSOURI DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND SENIOR SERVICES, Respondent-Respondent
Hippos, LLC appealed the circuit court's judgment affirming the Administrative Hearing Commission's decisions, which found Hippos ineligible for 13 medical marijuana cultivation, manufacturing, and dispensary licenses. The Commission's decisions were based on a scoring process that resulted in inconsistent scores for identical application answers and an arbitrary rescoring methodology. The appellate court reversed the circuit court's judgment, holding that the Commission's decisions were arbitrary, capricious, and unsupported by competent and substantial evidence, particularly in its disregard of expert testimony and its flawed rescoring method. The case was remanded with directions for the circuit court to order the Department of Health and Senior Services to grant the licenses to Hippos.