The Supreme Court, in a 5–4 ruling, has resolved a circuit split on the issue of litigation stays pending appeal of denials of motions to compel arbitration. In the underlying putative class action, Bielski et al v. Coinbase, Inc., 3:21-cv-07478 (N.D. Cal.), Coinbase moved to compel arbitration of the plaintiffs’ claims, but the motion was denied by the district court. The Ninth Circuit—in a split from several other Circuits—declined to stay the district court proceedings while the appeal was pending. The Supreme Court now has ruled that a district court must stay proceedings while an interlocutory appeal on the question of arbitrability is ongoing. The decision means that defendants should be able to minimize ongoing litigation costs while an appeal of an adverse arbitration decision is pending.Continue Reading Supreme Court Resolves Circuit Split to Require Stays Pending Appeal of Refusals to Compel Arbitration
cryptocurrency
Court Dismisses Class Action Seeking to Hold Cryptocurrency Exchange Coinbase Liable for Sale of Unregistered Securities
A federal district court recently dismissed with prejudice a putative class action against the cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, where the plaintiffs sought to hold the exchange liable for the sale of unregistered securities on behalf a nationwide class. The court held that Coinbase neither directly sold the accused tokens to plaintiffs nor actively solicited their sale, and thus plaintiffs’ federal claims must be dismissed. This decision has important implications for digital asset exchanges, which have faced a significant increase in class actions alleging the exchanges are themselves liable for the sale of unregistered securities.Continue Reading Court Dismisses Class Action Seeking to Hold Cryptocurrency Exchange Coinbase Liable for Sale of Unregistered Securities
S.E.C. Wins Summary Judgment Determination That Cryptocurrency Token Qualifies as a Security
In a recent decision, a federal judge granted summary judgment for the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) finding that the LBC cryptocurrency token qualifies as a security. While the ruling is confined to this specific token, it represents a victory for the SEC’s assertions that many cryptocurrencies, including so called “utility tokens,” represent securities that need to be registered with the agency. The Court also held that the makers of the LBC token, LBRY, Inc., had fair notice that the token was subject to the securities laws. Considering the ongoing class actions and enforcement proceedings litigating this issue across several cases, companies operating in the cryptocurrency space, including cryptocurrency exchanges, should follow this development to assess any possible impact on their businesses.Continue Reading S.E.C. Wins Summary Judgment Determination That Cryptocurrency Token Qualifies as a Security
Litigation Between FinTech Companies Follows Class Action Over Cryptocurrency Theft
This past week, co-defendants in a class action related to the theft of cryptocurrency engaged in their own lawsuit over alleged security failures. IRA Financial Trust, a retirement account provider offering crypto-assets, sued class action co-defendant Gemini Trust Company, LLC, a crypto-asset exchange owned by the Winklevoss twins, following a breach of IRA customer accounts. IRA claims that Gemini failed to secure a “master key” to IRA’s accounts, and that hackers were able to exploit this alleged security flaw to steal tens of millions of dollars of cryptocurrency. This lawsuit demonstrates the growing trend of cryptocurrency thefts resulting from cyber breaches, and ensuing litigation activity.Continue Reading Litigation Between FinTech Companies Follows Class Action Over Cryptocurrency Theft
Companies Increasingly Facing Class Actions Connected to Cryptocurrency Theft
A recent class action refiled in federal court against Shopify highlights a growing trend of lawsuits against companies related to the theft of cryptocurrency, particularly as a result of internal company threats. See Forsberg et al v. Shopify, Inc. et al, 1:22-cv-00436 (D. Del.). Despite not itself being a repository for or facilitating the sale of any cryptocurrency, the plaintiffs in the Shopify case allege that Shopify is liable for a theft of cryptocurrency after Shopify experienced a data breach caused by its own employees, which exposed a customer list for a cryptocurrency hardware wallet vendor, Ledger SAS. As cryptocurrency storage and related transactions increasingly feature in companies’ online presence, there is likely to be a growing risk posed by threat actors motivated to target crypto-related assets and data, and more litigation activity in this space.Continue Reading Companies Increasingly Facing Class Actions Connected to Cryptocurrency Theft