Attorney files to withdraw from Tether, Bitfinex, Tron and Binance suits

Quick Take

  • Attorney Kyle Roche has withdrawn from several class action suits in the wake of a blog post’s claims he brought cases on behalf of Ava Labs.
  • Both Ava Labs and Roche have denied the allegations.

Kyle Roche has filed to withdraw as counsel from several class action lawsuits against digital asset-related businesses.   

The withdrawals come after videos circulated showing the attorney discussing his relationship with other companies in the space. 

Roche is a founding partner of law firm Roche Freedman and known for bringing high-profile class action suits against crypto firms and projects. Notices of withdrawal by Roche as counsel appeared on the dockets today in multiple cases led by Roche, including class action suits brought against Tether and Bitfinex, Tron, BitMex and Binance.   

The notices indicate that Roche has left the firm’s class action practice, though the firm may continue to pursue those class action suits. As of publication time, no notice has appeared in the firm's class actions against Binance.US, DeFi firm Celsius, Dfinity or Solana

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The motions to withdraw come in the wake of a blog post by the anonymous site Crypto Leaks, which included a video of Roche appearing to discuss his relationship with the leadership of Ava Labs, and different lawsuits he helped lead. . 

In a statement published Monday, Ava Labs Founder and CEO Emin Gün Sirer called Roche’s statements in the video, “false claims,” and denied having a relationship with the lawyer beyond his representation of the company in contract disputes and a personal libel case involve Sirer.   

Roche has also denied the Crypto Leaks post. In self-published statement, he alleged that the video was taken out of context and "illegally obtained.” He did not provide a comment for the record on his case withdrawal filings.


© 2023 The Block. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

About Authors

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.
Kollen Post is a senior reporter at The Block, covering all things policy and geopolitics from Washington, DC. That includes legislation and regulation, securities law and money laundering, cyber warfare, corruption, CBDCs, and blockchain’s role in the developing world. He speaks Russian and Arabic. You can send him leads at [email protected].