Pro-XRP lawyer John Deaton has upheld his pledge to support customers of cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase by requesting to serve as a friend of the court in the exchange’s legal battle against the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
In an April 19 filing in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, Deaton requested to represent 4,701 Coinbase customers by appearing as amicus counsel in the ongoing lawsuit that commenced in June 2023.
“I am admitted or otherwise authorized to practice in this court and I appear in this case as counsel for 4,701 Coinbase Customers,” the filing stated.
During an April 18 podcast interview with Fox Business journalist Eleanor Terrett, Deaton suggested that his motivation for supporting the Coinbase customers was to protect everyday individuals aiming to “build a little wealth” in their lives.
“This isn’t about crypto, this is about freedom. This is about upward mobility, this is about people who want a fighting chance, people who want to build a little wealth. They are not looking to get rich, they’re not crypto bros,” he declared.
This comes after Coinbase filed an interlocutory appeal in its lawsuit against the SEC only days after the court denied its motion to dismiss the entire lawsuit.
The interlocutory appeal revolves around the “controlling question” whether an investment contract requires “something contractual," according to Coinbase chief legal officer Paul Grewal.
Related: Coinbase shares slump, but Base revenue signals it’s undervalued — Analyst
Deaton has filed several amicus counsel requests over the past few years in support of the crypto community.
In September 2023, he submitted his notice of appearance as a friend of the court in the LBRY v SEC lawsuit.
Most notably though, was in 2021 when Deaton filed an amicus brief on behalf of over 6,000 XRP (XRP) holders in the lawsuit between the SEC and Ripple Labs.
In more recent news, Deaton has been campaigning for a Senate position, aiming to secure the seat currently held by crypto skeptic Senator Elizabeth Warren.
On April 15, Cointelegraph reported that Deaton outraised Senator Warren over the first quarter of this year for his bid to seize her Senate spot — bankrolling $1.36 million compared to Warren’s $1.09 million.
It comes just over a month after Deaton told his 324,100 X followers that he invested $500,000 of his own money into the Senate campaign.
However, he called on his followers to help raise an additional $500,000.
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