XRP Lawyer Receives ICBLA’s Freedom Award Behalf of XRP Defendants 

• ICBLA presented John E. Deaton with the Defender of Freedom Award.
• Deaton acknowledges every XRP defendant to be rightful to receive the award.
• The lawyer narrated his journey from filing a motion to intervene to receive the award.

Prominent XRP defendant John E. Deaton shared a Twitter thread on September 29, sharing his gratitude for the Defender of Freedom Award presented by the International Congress of Blockchain Legal Advisors (ICBLA). The lawyer acknowledged all the XRP defendants who grew from 12,600 to 75,000, honoring each of them as a champion.

In a series of tweets, Deaton clearly portrayed the XRP community’s journey from filing a motion to intervene to standing at a landmark victory. When in 2020, the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued Ripple for alleged trade of unregistered securities, thereby violating the securities laws, individuals filed a Motion to Intervene, defending XRP and fighting against the SEC’s injustice.

As per a press release, the ICBLA awarded Deaton with prize money of $5,000 in recognition of his efforts “above and beyond their[his] quest to uphold freedom in the crypto community.” The statement read:

Deaton’s visionary strategy enabled digital asset owners to intercede against SEC enforcement actions, a pioneering approach that served as a protective shield against the SEC’s overreaching tactics. With an unwavering commitment to justice and freedom, Deaton represented tens of thousands of XRP holders in SEC v. Ripple Labs et al., offering his legal expertise pro bono.

Further, Deaton drew his followers’ attention to the community’s endeavor throughout the protracted legal saga, indulging in the struggle to bring justice to the community. As the defendants submitted 3,600 Affidavits comprising details regarding contracts between Ripple and institutional buyers, emails, correspondence, slack messages, marketing materials, etc., Judge Analisa Torres rejected the illogical claims of the regulators.

Finally, addressing the recent submission of the notice of appearance as an Amicus Curie, representing Naomi Brockwell, the co-founder of Deaton’s CryptoLaw, Deaton extended appreciation to the latter for her cooperation. Expressing his gratefulness to the whole XRP community, he added, “Without all of them, my efforts would’ve been a fart in the wind. So when I accepted this great award, I accepted it on behalf of all of them”.