A legislation agency that when offered companies to FTX defended itself and tried to dismiss a category motion go well with via a authorized submitting on Sept. 22.
The related lawsuit started in August. There, clients tried to argue that Fenwick & West was partly accountable for alleged fraudulent exercise at FTX.
In its present submitting, Fenwick defended itself on varied grounds. It argued that plaintiffs did not allege that Fenwick acted outdoors of the scope of illustration.
Moreover, Fenwick stated that plaintiffs failed to indicate that Fenwick knew about or straight assisted FTX’s fraud, and failed to indicate that or that Fenwick participated in a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) enterprise.
Every of these factors is crucial to clients’ authorized claims. Accordingly, Fenwick goals to have the category motion go well with dismissed via its newest authorized submitting.
Newest submitting discusses finer factors
Fenwick additionally addressed different factors. The legislation agency famous that plaintiffs didn’t argue that it “orchestrated” FTX’s fraud. As a substitute, plaintiffs repeatedly affirmed of their declare that former FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried was answerable for that fraud.
Fenwick asserted that it represented solely FTX, not Bankman-Fried or every other firm insider. It went on to notice that it was simply one among many legislation corporations that represented FTX and in any other case described its companies as “routine” all through its submitting.
The legislation agency additionally responded to allegations that it offered sure companies that went “effectively past” the companies that legislation corporations usually present. Fenwick stated that these controversial companies concerned using attorneys who freely left Fenwick to hitch FTX, creating corporations via which Bankman-Fried later dedicated fraud, and advising FTX on regulatory compliance as associated to cryptocurrency buying and selling.
Fenwick famous that the plaintiffs don’t declare that these companies had been fallacious or legally actionable in their very own proper. As a substitute, it stated that the plaintiffs argued that Fenwick is liable as a result of it offered authorized companies whereas it knew of FTX’s fraud.
Fenwick added that plaintiffs based mostly sure arguments on inferences concerning the legislation agency’s monitoring and diligence insurance policies, mixed with the truth that two Fenwick staff — Daniel Friedberg and Can Solar — left the legislation agency to work with FTX. To that finish, clients of their authentic lawsuit drew consideration to a 2021 electronic mail during which Friedberg acknowledged cash-sharing between FTX and its sister agency Alameda Research.
As with varied different factors, Fenwick denied that the existence of this electronic mail plausibly exhibits that it was conscious of alleged wrongdoing at FTX.
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