litigation

According to CoinDesk, an address from the "Satoshi era" that has never been used since March 2011, holding 35.55 bitcoins (approximately $2.54 million), made a transfer this week, which is seen as one of the first publicly visible responses from defendants in a lawsuit involving approximately 3.8 million bitcoins (valued at about $285 billion) in New York.On-chain data shows that the address transferred 15 BTC to a new address on June 2, keeping the remaining 20.55 BTC as change. The address initially received bitcoins on March 27, 2011, when the price of BTC was less than $1.In March of this year, a plaintiff using the pseudonym "Noah Doe" filed a lawsuit in New York state court alongside two LLCs from Wyoming, attempting to claim ownership of approximately 3.8 million long-dormant bitcoin wallets under New York's lost property law, positioning themselves as the "discoverer." The court approved sending on-chain notifications to the relevant wallets via the bitcoin OP_RETURN field.In July 2025, the advisory firm Salomon Brothers Strategic Advisors sent dust transactions with links to legal notices to 39,000 wallets, including the aforementioned address, requesting holders to prove ownership within 90 days.Alex Thorn, head of research at Galaxy Research, pointed out that the address corresponds to defendant number 38215 in the case, stating, "Clearly, these bitcoins have not actually been abandoned."Additionally, another address that had been dormant for 15 years, 1CDSyXAQxro4FPUoqAQb81642ruqDsUiNp, also transferred 20 BTC (approximately $1.48 million) on the same day, but this address did not appear on Noah Doe's list of lawsuits.Analysis suggests that the on-chain movements mentioned above indicate that some bitcoins from the Satoshi era, considered "abandoned assets," are actually still under the control of the original holders.

Notable gold supporter and cryptocurrency critic Peter Schiff posted on X, stating: "Most STRC investors may ultimately lose most of their funds, as once Michael Saylor is forced to cancel the dividend distribution, the price of STRC will eventually crash.At that time, a large number of lawsuits are likely to further exacerbate the problems faced by Strategy (MSTR). Those investors who suffered losses due to misleading promotions are expected to seek compensation through legal means to recover their investment losses."

According to Bitcoin.com, Tether has filed a lawsuit in São Paulo, Brazil, seeking to recover a $300 million loan from Titan Holding, a company under the Master Group. The loan was issued by Tether's venture capital arm, Tether Investments, in 2025, with a repayment due in 2026, but no repayments have been received to date.Daniel Vorcaro, the owner of the Master Group, was recently arrested, and his Banco Master was liquidated by the Brazilian central bank last November due to a reserve shortfall of $2.2 billion, affecting over a million customers. In the lawsuit, Tether has requested to freeze all financial assets of Titan and its affiliated companies.

According to Cointelegraph, a court in Texas, USA, dismissed a lawsuit filed by crypto developer Michael Lewellen. Lewellen sought a declaratory judgment from the court, stating that his developed software Pharos (used for donating to charitable crowdfunding activities) would not be prosecuted for violating money transmission laws. U.S. Chief District Judge Reed O'Connor dismissed the case on Wednesday, stating that Lewellen failed to demonstrate a credible and imminent threat of prosecution.Lewellen expressed his disappointment on the X platform, saying, "I am disappointed that the court dismissed my lawsuit today." The court's dismissal opinion also referenced a memorandum from the U.S. Department of Justice, which stated that the department would no longer prosecute virtual currency exchanges, mixing services, or offline wallets for actions or inadvertent violations by their end users. Lewellen added, "The non-binding memorandum from the Department of Justice cannot replace true legal certainty."

According to Bloomberg, a man has accused his ex-wife of stealing over 2,323 bitcoins from his wallet and transferring them to an inaccessible location after their divorce, with the assets involved valued at up to £180 million (approximately $238 million). The plaintiff, Ping Fai Yuen, has filed a lawsuit against his ex-wife Fun Yung Li in a London court.According to the ruling documents from the London court, the valuation of the bitcoins involved in the case has reached a maximum of £180 million since the lawsuit was initiated.

A U.S. federal judge has issued a temporary restraining order against the cryptocurrency lending firm BlockFills, temporarily freezing its disputed assets. Dominion Capital filed a lawsuit on February 27, accusing BlockFills of misappropriating and unlawfully retaining customer crypto assets worth millions of dollars, commingling customer assets, concealing significant losses, and refusing to return funds after suspending withdrawals on the BlockFills platform in February. The frozen amount is 70.6 BTC, and it has prevented BlockFills from transferring assets overseas.The cryptocurrency lending firm BlockFills has been struggling, reporting a loss of $75 million, and suspended user deposits and withdrawals on February 11. The company, headquartered in Chicago, serves approximately 2,000 institutional clients, with a trading volume reaching $60 billion by 2025, and is currently seeking a buyer.

The law firm Burwick Law represents retail investors in a revised lawsuit against Pump.fun, Solana Labs, and related executives. Previously, the judge allowed the plaintiffs to submit a second amended complaint, adding 5,000 private messages as new evidence, accusing them of orchestrating a "pump and dump" scheme.The lawsuit reveals that Pump.fun co-founder Alon Cohen admitted in private messages that most investors on the platform lost money, stating, "We made it easy for ordinary people to trade small coins worth under $50,000, but this also exposed everyone to an extremely low probability of winning, just like gambling." The lawsuit also claims that some crypto KOLs were paid to promote meme coins without disclosing their financial interests and were informed in advance about the purchase targets.However, the article points out that the evidence in the lawsuit is mostly based on rumors and lacks empirical proof of direct profits for Pump.fun executives, maintaining a reserved stance on the "criminal organization" allegations.

The founder of India's largest cryptocurrency exchange WazirX, Nischal Shetty, confirmed that the long-standing ownership dispute with Binance has entered formal litigation. The dispute dates back to 2019 when Binance announced its acquisition of WazirX, but the two parties have since publicly "clashed" multiple times over control and operational rights. Shetty stated that both sides are now "sticking to their guns," and the outcome of the lawsuit is crucial. Additionally, Shetty responded to the dispute with the custodian Liminal. WazirX had attributed part of the responsibility for the 2024 hacking incident (which resulted in losses exceeding $230 million) to its multi-signature custody infrastructure, but Liminal publicly rebutted this and released data to question it.

According to TheStreet, Nischal Shetty, the founder of the Indian cryptocurrency exchange WazirX, stated in an interview that the long-standing ownership dispute between WazirX and Binance has entered the litigation stage.Shetty reiterated that WazirX was sold to Binance at the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, although Binance has since denied holding any shares. Shetty mentioned that the current focus is on the platform's restart and rebuilding, and the final outcome of the ownership dispute will be determined by the law. He emphasized that the dispute will not significantly affect users operationally, and the updated terms of service from WazirX clearly outline the ownership issues and dispute explanations, providing users with greater transparency. WazirX has resumed operations after completing the restructuring process approved by the Singapore court.

The well-known American law firm Burwick Law has announced that it is preparing to file a lawsuit against Believe and its founder Ben Pasternak, and has opened a registration website for the affected community.In October of this year, the Believe ecosystem token LAUNCHCOIN announced that it had completed the upgrade to the BELIEVE token. As of the time of publication, the BELIEVE token has dropped from a peak of $120 million to $10.15 million, with a daily trading volume of only $195,400.Burwick Law has previously initiated multiple lawsuits in the crypto space, including lawsuits against projects such as LIBRA, M3M3, and pump.fun.

According to DL News, in early November, the Ethereum-based yield protocol Stream Finance reported that an "external fund manager" lost $93 million in cryptocurrency, accounting for about 17% of the entrusted assets. On Monday, Stream co-founder filed a lawsuit under Stream Trading Corp., accusing Georgia resident Ryan DeMattia of misappropriating the funds to cover personal losses after defaulting on a personal loan, and also accusing Florida resident Caleb McMeans of failing to fulfill the takeover agreement and the brand agreement signed in January of this year, currently requesting the court to enforce, as McMeans is suspected of shirking responsibility.The lawsuit details the brief and tumultuous history of the Stream protocol, which only operated for nine months before shutting down in November 2024 due to slowing growth and "operational challenges." After McMeans proposed the acquisition, he was to take full control as per the agreement, with Stream serving as the service provider, while McMeans was required to allocate fees, take responsibility, and disclose the flow of funds. However, after reaching several off-chain agreements, it became increasingly difficult to keep track of Stream's trading strategies in real time.In September, co-founders demanded increased transparency, but McMeans continued to delay. He later admitted that he allowed "employee" DeMattia to invest over $90 million off-chain and helped DeMattia evade inquiries from the co-founders. McMeans ultimately conceded, admitting that he had no formal relationship with DeMattia and agreed to withdraw the cryptocurrency he had entrusted to this "employee."

According to The Block, the prediction market platform Kalshi has received permission from Connecticut regulators to temporarily halt enforcement actions. Previously, the Connecticut Department of Consumer Protection issued a cease-and-desist order to Kalshi, Robinhood, and Crypto.com on December 2, accusing these companies of providing unlicensed sports-related betting services.Subsequently, Kalshi filed a lawsuit against Connecticut authorities a day later, claiming that its market (which allows users to trade on the outcomes of future events) is a derivative regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. The company also sought a temporary restraining order to prevent Connecticut from taking any actions that could interfere with its operations.Judge Oliver's order provides Kalshi with temporary protection while the case continues to be heard. According to the schedule set on Monday, Connecticut regulators must respond to Kalshi's complaint by January 9, 2026, and the company must submit supplemental supporting arguments by January 30. Oral arguments are expected to be held in mid-February.

According to Decrypt, Binance is facing a new lawsuit accusing the exchange of creating a system that allowed cryptocurrency transactions related to Hamas between 2017 and 2023.The lawsuit was filed in federal court in North Dakota by over 300 American families who were killed or injured in Hamas attacks. The plaintiffs allege that Binance's corporate structure and compliance practices allowed users associated with terrorist organizations to transfer funds through the centralized cryptocurrency exchange. The lawsuit claims that Binance lacks adequate controls, with issues such as weak customer verification, a mixed-asset omnibus wallet, and internal communication practices that limit oversight. The plaintiffs' attorneys state that Binance not only intentionally provided financial services to Hamas but also actively sought to protect its Hamas clients and their funds from scrutiny by U.S. regulators or law enforcement.

According to Decrypt, the U.S. Court of Appeals on Tuesday dismissed Florida man Michael Prime's lawsuit attempting to recover over $354 million in Bitcoin.Prime claimed that the Bitcoin was stored on a hard drive that authorities destroyed when he was arrested in 2019 for forgery and identity theft. The court ruled that Prime waited too long to file his claim and that he had previously told investigators, probation officers, and judges that he held almost no cryptocurrency, contradicting his later assertion of owning "close to 3,443 Bitcoins." Federal agents ended their search for the Bitcoin based on his earlier statements and subsequently destroyed the equipment, including the orange hard drive in question. Prime was sentenced to over five years in prison in 2020.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, billionaire heir Taylor Thomson lost over $80 million in digital assets due to following investment advice related to a psychic.Thomson is a member of the family behind media and financial giant Thomson Reuters, and she invested millions of dollars in crypto assets with the help of her former close friend Ashley Richardson.Both had previously sought advice from psychics, and later Richardson became deeply involved in managing Thomson's crypto asset portfolio. During the bull market in 2021, Richardson reportedly managed over $140 million in crypto assets for Thomson across multiple wallets.However, the downturn in the crypto market in mid-2022 severely impacted the portfolio, with consulting firm Guidepost Solutions estimating that Thomson's losses exceeded $80 million.The firm accused Richardson of executing over 450,000 trades without proper authorization, exposing Thomson to high-risk strategies.Richardson denied the allegations, stating that she acted at Thomson's direction and that there was no formal contract between the two.In 2023, Thomson sued Richardson and Persistence; she has since settled with Persistence, while the lawsuit against Richardson is still ongoing.

ChainCatcher news, according to The Block, global investment firm Digital Currency Group (DCG) is suing its subsidiary Genesis Global Capital LLC for providing an $1.1 billion guarantee to support the now-bankrupt Genesis during the last cryptocurrency crash.In a lawsuit filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York, DCG stated that the company attempted to cover a potential "gap" with this $1.1 billion promissory note, which was a measure taken in response to the collapse of the cryptocurrency hedge fund Three Arrows Capital in 2022. DCG pointed out that Three Arrows Capital was one of Genesis's largest borrowers.DCG is seeking a court order for Genesis Global Capital to pay it over $105 million plus interest.

ChainCatcher news, according to Protos, the cryptocurrency law firm Burwick Law aims to deliver a $440 million cryptocurrency lawsuit to a Dubai real estate developer using NFTs. The firm filed a lawsuit last December against seven defendants, including Peter McInnes, accusing them of stealing over $450 million in investor funds through a cryptocurrency-based Ponzi scheme.Burwick Law is requesting to serve the lawsuit documents via NFTs to the hard-to-reach defendants. The firm believes that since the alleged Ponzi scheme relied on social media promotion and NFT sales, serving via NFTs is appropriate.In previous news, the law firm Burwick Law has filed a lawsuit in the New York Supreme Court on behalf of its clients against Kelsier Ventures, KIP Protocol, Meteora, and related parties regarding the LIBRA token issuance. This class action lawsuit accuses the defendants of orchestrating an unfair token issuance campaign that misled buyers and harmed the interests of retail investors.

ChainCatcher news, according to official information, Ripple Labs has reached a formal settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Both parties have submitted the agreement to a New York court, which, if approved, will end the long-standing litigation surrounding the XRP token that began in 2020. Ripple will pay a $50 million fine, significantly lower than the SEC's previous demand of $2 billion and the court's earlier ruling of $125 million.According to the agreement, both parties will withdraw their respective appeals. This settlement is also seen as a sign of the SEC's shift in its cryptocurrency regulatory strategy.Previous news, Ripple agreed to waive its cross-appeal, and the SEC will retain $50 million of the $125 million fine.

ChainCatcher News, Acting Chair of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Caroline D. Pham expressed support for the Department of Justice's announcement to terminate the policy of regulating the cryptocurrency industry through prosecution, and instructed the CFTC not to file lawsuits based on violations of the registration provisions of the Commodity Exchange Act in cases where the defendant lacks subjective intent.Additionally, she has adjusted the functions of the enforcement department to promote the swift resolution of compliance backlogs that do not involve customer harm or market abuse.