The crypto-community has raised over $500,000 to support anonymous crypto investigator ZachXBT, who announced yesterday he is being sued for defamation.
The anonymous, on-chain lurker shared the lawsuit in a tweet Friday afternoon along with a digital wallet address for donations to help cover his legal costs, which he estimates could exceed $1 million.
The fundraising effort appears to have struck a chord with members of the crypto community, echoing concerns about censorship and legal threats against researchers. As of Saturday morning, ZachXBT’s donation address holds 163 ETH, worth about $290,000 at current prices, as well as ~$180,000 of USDC, ~$30,000 of USDT, and other coins. Notable crypto contributors include Adam Cochran and Alex Svanevik.
The lawsuit, filed in a Texas court, accuses ZachXBT of defaming Jeffrey Huang. ZachXBT alleged Huang embezzled cryptocurrency from Formosa Financial, a crypto startup. Huang demanded that ZachXBT remove the claims after denying them.
ZachXBT maintains that the lawsuit is baseless and meant to censor him. The case is poised to be an important test of free speech rights in crypto research and journalism.
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Source: https://www.theblock.co/post/235260/crypto-donors-raise-500000-to-support-zachxbt-in-lawsuit?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss