Bitfinex and Tether still have to turn over documents says New York trial court judge

A New York trial court judge has again ruled that Bitfinex and Tether must turn over requested documents to the New York Attorney General office (NYAG) after a conference between the two parties today.

The NYAG called for a conference last week, claiming Bitfinex and Tether had failed to comply with the full extent of the requests in the previous order's set time frame. The Court had ordered the crypto companies to produce requested documents within 60 days of the July ruling. That decision came after a back and forth between the NYAG and the firms, when the defense appealed by arguing the NYAG lacked jurisdiction. 

The arguments centered on whether the range of documents the firms were asked to produce was too far-reaching. Bitfinex claimed the order over-reached. The NYAG has previously claimed the documents it has requested of Bitfinex should be "at its fingertips." Ultimately, Judge Joel M. Cohen declined to order the NYAG to narrow the requests. 

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Though the previous deadline for Bitfinex to produce requested documents has passed, Cohen did not set a new deadline and instead extended an injunction prohibiting Tether from loaning funds to Bitfinex, per CoinDesk's report on the video conference.

The case began in April of last year, when the NYAG brought an investigation into the two sibling firms after they allegedly co-mingled funds to cover an $850 million loss by Bitfinex. 

This report has been amended for clarity.

About Author

Aislinn Keely is a reporter on The Block's policy team holding down the legal beat. She covers court decisions, bankruptcies, regulatory actions and other key moments in the legal sphere, putting them in context for the wider crypto industry. Before The Block, she lent her voice to the NPR affiliate WFUV and helmed Fordham University's student newspaper. Send tips or thoughts on all things policy and legal to [email protected] or follow her on Twitter for updates @AislinnKeely.