On October 19, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) dismissed its claims against Ripple Labs, Inc. (Ripple) executives Bradley Garlinghouse and Christian Larsen for allegedly aiding and abetting Ripple’s violations of the Securities Act with respect to its “institutional sales” of XRP. The Southern District of New York had deemed “institutional sales” to be unregistered securities in its July summary judgment decision, however, at that time the court reserved judgment as to the aiding and abetting claims against the executives. The matter was set for trial in 2024.
Investors
Securities Industry Arbitrations and Litigation Update: FINRA Reaffirms Its Commitment to Enforcement Actions In Connection with the Protection Of Elderly Investor Customers
Mindful of the impending retirement of many millions of investors in the “baby boomer” generation, which hold a substantial amount of the world’s wealth, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) continues to heavily monitor its member firms supervision of their registered financial advisors who service vulnerable and elderly investor customers. For example, last month FINRA…
DOJ Seizes Over $112 Million in Funds Linked to Cryptocurrency Investment Schemes
On April 3, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that it has seized virtual currency worth an estimated $112 million linked to cryptocurrency investment scams. Seizure warrants for six virtual currency accounts were authorized by judges in the District of Arizona, the Central District of California, and the District of Idaho. The virtual currency…
Not Your Keys, Not Your Coin: Bankruptcy Court Looks to Contract Law to Determine Consumer Interest-Bearing Crypto Deposits Belong to Celsius’ Bankruptcy Estate
Throughout the latter half of 2022, filing for bankruptcy became a reality for many high-profile crypto firms. The resurgence of “crypto winter” has brought many crypto-related entities to their proverbial knees. Indeed, in November 2021, the total cryptocurrency market capitalization reached an all-time high of approximately $3 trillion. That figure has decreased substantially, and today…