Chainalysis beats most Celsius claims, but ‘audit’ lawsuit survives

A US federal judge has dismissed most claims brought against Chainalysis by Celsius Network’s litigation administrator, but allowed one to proceed.

The surviving claim alleges Chainalysis helped Celsius insiders breach their fiduciary duties.

US District Judge Margaret Garnett denied Chainalysis’ bid to dismiss the aiding-and-abetting claim in a ruling issued Tuesday. She found that the complaint sufficiently alleged that Chainalysis knew a 2020 Celsius press release contained false statements and helped disseminate them.

The judge dismissed 12 other claims with prejudice, preventing the plaintiffs from amending them in this case.

Three consumer-protection claims were dismissed without prejudice. The plaintiffs have until Oct. 20 to amend those claims or tell the court they will not do so.

Celsius, a crypto lender, filed for bankruptcy in July 2022 during the crypto market crash. It froze withdrawals a month earlier, leaving customers unable to access about $4.7 billion in assets. The Chainalysis lawsuit is part of the estate’s effort to recover funds for creditors.

Chainalysis told Cointelegraph it was unable to comment. Celsius’ litigation administrator had not responded before publication.