Courts Rebuff Rasta Seeking Name Change

(CN) - A Rastafari man's 10-year quest to change his name to NJweedman.com remains unfulfilled after a California appeals court decision.

Robert Edward Forchion Jr. manages a Rastafi temple in Los Angeles and is devoted to the legalization of marijuana.

He was convicted of marijuana offenses in New Jersey in 2000 and is facing a similar trial in the Garden State stemming from a 2010 arrest.

Forchion also runs a website called NJweedman.com. He first tried to make that his legal name in 2001, but New Jersey courts said no.

A second attempt in California also fizzled, leading Forchion to appeal.

But the Los Angeles-based Second Appellate District refused as well.

"A statutory name change to NJweedman.com would last indefinitely," Justice Robert Mallano wrote for the court. "But Forchion might lose the use of his Web site by failing to make periodic registration payments or by breaching the registration agreement."

"In that event, the Web site name could be registered to someone else and, at the same time, Forchion could keep his new personal name," he added. "If both parties used that name to conduct business, confusion might result."

Subscribe to Closing Arguments

Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.

Email *

Submit