Deaton Slams SEC, Calls It a Bully For Suing Ripple Execs Over XRP Sales

Attorney Deaton slams SEC, says no reasonable jury will rule that Ripple execs were reckless in not knowing XRP was sold as a security.

In a tweet today, CryptoLaw founder John Deaton stated that no reasonable jury would rule that Ripple’s executives- Brad Garlinghouse and Chris Larsen- were reckless in distributing XRP.

The pro-XRP lawyer made this known in response to a recent interview by Ripple’s General Counsel, Stuart Alderoty. Recall that the SEC sued Garlinghouse and Larsen alongside Ripple in December 2020, alleging that the execs were reckless in allowing the company to distribute XRP the way it did.

Alderoty Says SEC’s Allegation Is Outrageous

Commenting on the development, Alderoty said before the SEC can establish recklessness, it needs to prove that Garlinghouse and Larsen knew the law or recklessly disregarded it. He added that Ripple has confirmed that the Securities and Exchange Commission made an outrageous allegation against its executives.

“We’ve now confirmed that [the SEC made] an outrageous allegation [against Garlinghouse and Larsen] because, at best, the SEC was debating internally what the law was. At worst, they knew what the law was and distorted it to create this confusion,” said Alderoty.

Deaton Reacts

Reacting to the remark, Deaton said the regulator sued Ripple’s executives because it was being the bully it loves to be.

Although Ripple provided details of every XRP transaction, Deaton claimed the SEC still went through the bank records and credit/debit card statements of Garlinghouse and Larsen in search of incriminating evidence.

Attorney Deaton said the SEC used fraud-like terms in a non-fraudulent case to intimidate and pressure the execs.

“When you’re innocent, the two executives did exactly what you do with a bully – punch in the face,” Deaton added.

No reasonable jury could conclude @chrislarsensf and @bgarlinghouse were reckless. The SEC sued them because it was being the bully that it loves to be. Despite being given the proof of every single XRP transaction these two executives made, the SEC went after bank records and… https://t.co/ifTpTifc2o

— John E Deaton (@JohnEDeaton1) June 16, 2023

Deaton Defends Garlinghouse and Larsen

It bears mentioning that attorney Deaton has previously commented on the SEC’s case against Garlinghouse and Larsen. Deaton pointed out that the SEC was still struggling in 2018 to determine whether XRP was being offered as a security.

Recall that two different analyses were conducted by SEC’s enforcement lawyers and a third-party to determine whether XRP is a security.

Both reports concluded that XRP sales do not satisfy all prongs of the Howey test. Notably, the Howey analysis on XRP by SEC enforcement lawyers was submitted on June 13, 2018, a day before Hinman’s speech.

Commenting on the development, attorney Deaton said:

“If the SEC itself was struggling in 2018 to determine whether XRP was being offered/sold as a security, could these two executives still be reckless in 2013?

He added that the Howey analysis on XRP will impact Judge Analisa Torres’ decision on whether Garlinghouse and Larsen were reckless in not knowing that the crypto asset was sold as a security.