Steph Curry, Tom Brady and other celebrities excluded from most FTX investor claims, judge rules
A Florida judge ruled that the investors failed to prove the celebrities knew about FTX and CEO Sam Bankman-Fried’s misconduct when endorsing the platform.
A Florida federal judge has dismissed most of the claims against high-profile celebrities and YouTubers who promoted the now-defunct cryptocurrency exchange FTX, including stars like Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen, Kevin O'Leary, and Stephen Curry.
The ruling narrows the scope of a sprawling multidistrict litigation accusing them of using their fame to market a fraudulent platform.
The lawsuit stemmed from FTX's catastrophic collapse in November 2022, which wiped out billions of dollars in customer funds and triggered investigations worldwide. The plaintiffs accused the stars of being paid millions of dollars to endorse FTX without disclosing their financial incentives, a violation of federal and state advertising laws.
In an order filed Wednesday, U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore ruled that the plaintiffs, a group of FTX investors, failed to demonstrate that the celebrities had sufficient knowledge of FTX and CEO Sam Bankman-Fried's misconduct to be held liable for promoting the exchange.