Categories: U.S. Regulation

Coinbase Faces New Class Action Over Alleged Securities Violations

Coinbase Global and its CEO, Brian Armstrong, are facing a class action lawsuit filed by several plaintiffs who allege the company misled customers into purchasing digital assets that qualify as securities.
According to the filing, the plaintiffs argue that cryptocurrencies such as Solana (SOL), Polygon (MATIC), Near Protocol (NEAR), Decentraland (MANA), Algorand (ALGO), Uniswap (UNI), Tezos (XTZ), and Stellar Lumens (XLM) should be recognized as securities.

The case claims Coinbase has breached securities laws by advertising these digital assets without proper registrations.

Details of the Lawsuit

The class action, initiated by plaintiffs including Gerardo Aceves, Thomas Fan, Edwin Martinez, Tiffany Smoot, Edouard Cordi, and Brett Maggard, cites intentional violations of securities laws in California and Florida. 

The suit focuses on Coinbase’s role as a “Securities Broker” as per its user agreement and its operations involving Coinbase Earn accounts. These accounts allegedly violated securities laws by promoting higher-yield investments without adequate disclosures.

In response to ongoing legal pressures, Coinbase sought to clarify the definition of “investment contract” through an interlocutory appeal following clarity from the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit regarding secondary crypto sales. 

This legal strategy is significant in the broader context of the ongoing Ripple vs. SEC lawsuit, which addresses similar issues concerning the classification of digital assets.

Terron Gold

Recent Posts

Candy Digital Announces Migration to Solana as NFT Platform Repositions for Long Term Growth

NFT platform Candy Digital has announced plans to migrate its digital collectibles ecosystem to the Solana blockchain, signaling…

6 hours ago

US Military Runs Bitcoin Node for National Security Testing, Admiral Tells Congress

The U.S. military has confirmed it is actively running a Bitcoin node as part of national security research, while…

6 hours ago

Over 90% of Web3 Games Failed After $15 Billion Boom as Players Never Showed Up

The Web3 gaming sector is facing a harsh reality check as new data reveals that more…

7 hours ago

Justin Sun Sues Trump Linked World Liberty Financial Over Frozen Crypto Assets

Justin Sun, founder of TRON, has filed a federal lawsuit against World Liberty Financial, a crypto venture…

9 hours ago

Tether Freezes $344 Million in USDT on Tron After Wallets Flagged by U.S. Authorities

Tether has frozen approximately $344 million in USDT on the Tron blockchain after the wallets were flagged by U.S. authorities, marking…

10 hours ago

Kalshi Fines and Suspends Three Congressional Candidates for Betting on Their Own Elections

Prediction market platform Kalshi has fined and suspended three U.S. congressional candidates after determining they engaged in “political…

11 hours ago