Roche Freedman
Crypto Boutique Law Firm Roche Freedman Removed From Class Action Against Tether
After a Manhattan federal judge blasted Roche Freedman LLP founding partner Kyle Roche’s public statements, the judge has removed the crypto boutique law firm from the market manipulation lawsuit against Tether and Bitfinex. The recent hearing has shown that U.S. district judge, Katherine Polk Failla, believes the litigation process could be derailed. She further stressed […]Court hears Roche Freedman could create ‘a sideshow’ in the Tether class action
Lawyer Kyle Roche previously withdrew as counsel on several crypto class-action lawsuits, including the Tether and Bitfinex Crypto Asset Litigation.
The fallout from the leaked Kyle Roche videos has continued after two law firms submitted a document to the court asking that his law firm Roche Freedman be removed as interim co-lead from the Tether and Bitfinex Crypto Asset Litigation.
Roche Freedman are acting for plaintiffs in the class-action lawsuit initiated in 2019 alleging Tether and Bitfinex manipulated the crypto market by issuing unbacked USDT.
Kirby McInerney LLP (Kirby) and Radice Law Firm, P.C. (Radice), who are also representing three plaintiffs in the case, submitted the request that Roche Freeman be removed to the court on Sept.5.
In the document, the firms argue they should be substituted as lead counsel on the basis Roche Freedman would distract the court from the investors' claims and "prejudice the rights of the putative class."
"To avoid a sideshow about the adequacy of counsel or the motives and use of litigation and discovery, a new leadership structure is necessary."
The controversy began after a CryptoLeaks exposé, which received wide publicity for its allegations that the videos showed Kyle Roche and Ava Labs had a secret agreement to use lawsuits to harm its competitors.
According to court records released on Aug. 31, Kyle Roche withdrew as counsel on several crypto class-action lawsuits, including the Tether and Bitfinex Crypto Asset Litigation.
Roche Freedman submitted its response on Sept.6, calling the move to have it ousted is an "extraordinary remedy" based on the "recordings of a single lawyer who has since sworn those statements were false or misinterpreted."
"The Firm also took appropriate steps to avoid any appearance of impropriety."
Roche Freedman says it "screened him from this case", and he will "not receive any portion of the proceeds from this litigation."
It argued that should be the end of the matter because "the five named plaintiffs who actually retained the Firm and stand to lose the most if deprived of their counsel of choice."
Related: Tether requests Roche Freedman to be booted from class action
One of the defendants in the case, Tether, has already requested that Roche's law firm be removed entirely and to certify that it has returned or destroyed all defendant-issued documents and had not shared them with any third-party.
Poloniex, Bittrex Want Kyle Roche’s Law Firm Removed From Class-Action Against the Exchanges
Following the controversy surrounding Kyle Roche, the attorney and founding partner of the litigation firm Roche Freedman LLP, the two crypto exchange firms Bittrex and Poloniex want the law firm removed from the class-action lawsuit against them. Similar to the attorney representing Tether, the lawyers representing Bittrex and Poloniex argue that “Mr. Roche’s recent statements […]Tether Asks Court to Remove Crypto Boutique Law Firm Roche Freedman From Class-Action Lawsuit
Kyle Roche, an attorney and founding partner of the crypto boutique litigation firm Roche Freedman LLP, recently withdrew from a number of class-action lawsuits initiated by the law firm. The attorney’s withdrawal follows videos that circulated showing the lawyer discussing associations with cryptocurrency companies. After the attorney’s initial filing, the stablecoin issuer Tether is requesting […]Kyle Roche files to withdraw from class-action practice after video leak
According to a series of court records released on Aug. 31, Roche is understood to be “no longer involved” in Roche Freedman’s class action practice.
In the wake of allegations made by Crypto Leaks, high-profile crypto lawyer Kyle Roche has filed to withdraw as counsel on several crypto class-action lawsuits.
According to a series of court records released on Aug.31, Roche is understood to be “no longer involved” in Roche Freedman’s class action practice.
The law firm has also filed to withdraw Roche as counsel in class action lawsuits involving Tron and Global Trading.
Wow. A few days after being the subject of a controversial undercover video, @KyleWRoche has withdrawn as counsel for the Tether/Bitfinex lawsuit. This filing says he's no longer part of his firm's class action practice. pic.twitter.com/ihrT41h9DQ
— JacobSilverman.shill (@SilvermanJacob) August 31, 2022
In a motion to withdraw as attorney in the Tether and Bitfinex Crypto asset litigation case, cryptocurrency law firm Roche Freedman said "Roche would "withdraw as one of the attorneys for the Proposed Class" and "Mr. Roche is no longer involved in RF's class action practice."
The motions do not mean the lawsuits will be dropped altogether, as they could still proceed without Roche.
Roche’s withdrawal from the lawsuit comes amid the ongoing fallout from a recent CryptoLeaks expose, which feature videos of Roche allegedly revealing a relationship with Ava Labs, and a “secret pact” to “harm” competitors through the United States legal system.
On Aug. 30, Roche released a statement denying the allegations, claiming they are an attempt by a disgruntled defendant from a previous case.
"These videos were recorded without my consent during private meetings with Christen Ager-Hanssen, whom I now know works for Dominic Williams, the creator of ICP Token, and the defendant in a high-profile securities fraud litigation my firm brought against him."
Ava Labs CEO Emin Gün Sirer followed suit, denying the alleged arrangement with Roche, calling it "conspiracy theory nonsense."
Cryptoleaks, an anonymous website that claims to launch investigations based on information from whistleblowers and expose attacks and scams in the crypto world, has not backed away from its claims.
Related: Ripple CEO comments on Crypto Leaks, denies funding law firm to target others
Roche's withdrawal from the case soon after the leak has seen speculation as to the cause, but there has yet to be any confirmation from Roche Freedman about the reason for his withdrawal and whether they will proceed with the lawsuits.
Ava Labs Dismisses “Conspiracy” Alleging Avalanche Paid Lawyers to Sue Competitors
Report Highlights Tech Firm Ryval’s Avalanche-Powered Litigation Tokenization Concept
According to a recent interview, trial lawyer Kyle Roche from the legal firm Roche Freedman LLP has started a tech startup called Ryval that aims to be “the stock market of litigation financing.” The firm plans to launch during the first quarter and allow people to leverage tokens in order to wager on civil lawsuits. […]