Will Ripple and SEC Settle During 14-Day Appeal Period? 

• Speculation has increased around the SEC vs Ripple case as experts provide contradictory opinions on the probability of a formal appeal after a notice of appeal was submitted on October 3. 

• A former SEC lawyer believes that the consistent approach of the Agency implies that its decision is not motivated by an increment of the $125 million penalty. 

CNF recently reported that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has filed a notice of appeal with the States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. According to a SEC spokesperson, the Commission’s decision stems from its observation of a contradiction between a part of Judge Analisa Torres’ XRP ruling in July 2023 and a decade-long precedent set by the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, an XRP analyst and enthusiast identified as JackTheRippler believes that the blockchain company and the Commission could reach an agreement within 14 days. 

According to this enthusiast, SEC’s decision to appeal hinges on the desire to increase the initial penalty of $125 million imposed on Ripple. However, the former SEC lawyer, Marc Fagel, who rightly predicted the appeal decision thinks otherwise. 

🚨BREAKING: The SEC and @Ripple can reach a settlement during the 14-day period following the “NOTICE of appeal” The SEC wants more money and appealed against the $125M.#XRP‘s status cannot be changed and will never be considered a security! pic.twitter.com/9AOCbdQXhD— JackTheRippler (@jack_rippla) October 6, 2024

Commenting on this, Fagel hinted that the consistency in the approach of the Commission, starting from its Interlocutory appeal last year over the programmatic sales of XRP, implies that the reason for its appeal is far from the penalty amount. To him, there is no reasonable basis to expect a settlement even though this is theoretically possible. 

Ripple (XRP) Executives and Industry Lawyers Speak Out 

In a brutal response, Ripple Chief Legal Officer (CLO) Stuart Alderoty, accused the SEC of deliberately staging litigation warfare against the crypto industry. According to him, Ripple would study the situation and file a cross-appeal. 

We are evaluating whether to file a cross-appeal. Either way, the SEC’s lawsuit has been irrational and misguided from the start, and we’re ready to prove that yet again in the appellate court (once again taking the lead for the industry).

Joining the conversation, lawyer Bill Morgan clarified that the Commission has only filed a notice of appeal. According to him, both parties could potentially negotiate for a settlement within 14 days. On the other hand, Morgan believes that this possibility could also be highly unlikely considering the SEC’s recent stance on the crypto industry. In this case, he advised that Ripple challenge the institutional sales to On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) customers if it decides to cross-appeal. 

Meanwhile, Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse thinks this appeal is “misguided” and “infuriating”. 

While we’ll fight in court for as long as we need, let’s be clear: XRP’s status as a non-security is the law of the land today – and that does not change even in the face of this misguided – and infuriating – appeal. Remember, when the SEC tried unsuccessfully to file an “interlocutory appeal” they made clear they had no intention of challenging XRP’s status as a non-security.)

Amid the backdrop of this, crypto analyst Amonyx has predicted that XRP could hit $589 once it imitates the 75,000% surge recorded between the first quarter of 2017 (Q1 2017) and the first quarter of 2018 (Q1 2018).

At press time, XRP was up by 1.79% in the last 24 hours and was trading at $0.54. However, its seven-day return was still down by 16%. 

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