Ripple Scores Small Win Against Investors Claiming XRP Is a Security

Ripple saw a victory Wednesday as a lawsuit against it received a "complex" designation, meaning it will be coordinated with another case.

AccessTimeIconAug 30, 2018 at 7:21 p.m. UTC
Updated Sep 13, 2021 at 8:20 a.m. UTC
10 Years of Decentralizing the Future
May 29-31, 2024 - Austin, TexasThe biggest and most established global hub for everything crypto, blockchain and Web3.Register Now

Ripple's efforts to consolidate multiple lawsuits filed against it are proceeding successfully.

As reported by CoinDesk, Ripple, which has been sued by a number of parties claiming the XRP token it uses to power some of its products is a security, has been pushing to have the various class action lawsuits against it combined, or at least coordinated, to limit the number of cases it fights at once.

On Wednesday, a California Superior Court suit filed by investor David Oconer was formally designated as "complex litigation" – meaning it will now be coordinated with the remaining suits.

According to public filings, this follows another California case, filed by investor Vladi Zakinov, which has already been deemed complex as of June 2018.

Under California court rules, one of the requirements for a complex designation is that a case involves "securities claims or investment losses involving many parties." With the new designation, a single judge should oversee actions relating to the case to prevent duplicated efforts and potentially different results due to different cases.

However, one result of the Oconer action is the case is now assigned to Judge Marie Weiner, who Ripple successfully moved to disqualify from presiding over the Zakinov case. It is unclear whether Ripple will again move to have the judge disqualified from the new preceding.

Ripple filed to coordinate the Zakinov and Oconer lawsuits earlier this month, claiming that the two class actions concern "'all or a material part of the same subject matter' and involve 'all or substantially all of the same parties.'"

Another related class-action lawsuit, filed by investor Ryan Coffey, was voluntarily dismissed by the investor last week. That case was moved to the District Court of the Northern District of California by Ripple, though Coffey tried to move it back to a lower court. His voluntary dismissal comes after that effort was rejected.

Legal counsel for Coffey and Ripple did not respond to requests for comment by press time.

XRP token on bullseye image via Shutterstock

Disclosure

Please note that our privacy policy, terms of use, cookies, and do not sell my personal information has been updated.

CoinDesk is an award-winning media outlet that covers the cryptocurrency industry. Its journalists abide by a strict set of editorial policies. In November 2023, CoinDesk was acquired by the Bullish group, owner of Bullish, a regulated, digital assets exchange. The Bullish group is majority-owned by Block.one; both companies have interests in a variety of blockchain and digital asset businesses and significant holdings of digital assets, including bitcoin. CoinDesk operates as an independent subsidiary with an editorial committee to protect journalistic independence. CoinDesk employees, including journalists, may receive options in the Bullish group as part of their compensation.


Learn more about Consensus 2024, CoinDesk's longest-running and most influential event that brings together all sides of crypto, blockchain and Web3. Head to consensus.coindesk.com to register and buy your pass now.