After a BlockFi investor withdrew an objection filed in February, a judge appeared to clear the way for the next step in a settlement of a class-action lawsuit. A New Jersey judge has given preliminary approval for a $13-million settlement between a group of investors and cryptocurrency lending company BlockFi after months of delays. In a Thursday filing in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey, Judge Claire Cecchi ordered BlockFi’s insurers to pay more than $13 million to an escrow account within 30 days as part of a class-action lawsuit filed in 2023. The order followed a February motion for preliminary approval, which was held up in part due to an objection from one investor. The judge scheduled a Dec. 11 hearing to determine final approval of the settlement plan and discuss any objections from parties to the lawsuit. About 89,000 users who held interest accounts at the company from March 2019 until its bankruptcy in November 2022 were eligible for distributions under the settlement. Read mo...
BlockFi’s bankruptcy administrator and the DOJ have settled a $35 million crypto asset transfer lawsuit. The administrator overseeing BlockFi’s bankruptcy wind-down and the US Department of Justice (DOJ) have reached a settlement to dismiss a $35 million crypto asset transfer lawsuit involving the crypto lender. The agreement was approved by Judge Michael B. Kaplan of the US Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey on Friday, according to court filings. The lawsuit, filed in May 2023, sought to transfer over $35 million in crypto assets from BlockFi to the US government. The DOJ said it had warrants to seize the funds from the BlockFi accounts of two Estonian citizens in a criminal fraud case unrelated to BlockFi’s bankruptcy. Read more