Domingo A. Lopez - Page 16




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            use of jojoba in the pharmaceutical arena; however, petitioner                             
            failed to pursue this possibility.  Petitioner's failure to                                
            investigate independently any of the enumerated potential uses of                          
            jojoba plants was unreasonable under the circumstances.                                    
                  Petitioner had no legal background or training, limited                              
            agricultural background or training, and no prior background with                          
            jojoba plants; yet, he consulted few, if any, sources of such                              
            information prior to investing in Blythe I.  Petitioner's limited                          
            youthful background with the growth and sale of coffee and citron                          
            should have educated petitioner that no two plant species respond                          
            to identical treatment and that each has a different potential                             
            for commercial production and sales.7  Petitioner appears to                               
            argue that it would have been difficult for him to locate an                               
            appropriate expert to examine the investment.  On the contrary,                            
            the Court does not believe that petitioner would have experienced                          
            a great degree of difficulty in contacting the agricultural                                
            department of a nearby college or university or going to another                           
            reliable source to inquire about the research and development of                           
            jojoba plants and their potential commercial usage, if any.  A                             






                  7     Indeed, petitioner testified that the commercial market                        
            for coffee was much larger and more lucrative than that for                                
            citron.                                                                                    





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