- Bitboy was named in a $1 billion lawsuit against allegedly sponsored FTX promoters.
- Plaintiff lawyers have accused Bitboy of harassment.
- The influencer has no plans to address the harassment claims in court.
In the wake of FTX’s collapse, there has been plenty of blame to go around, from the now-disgraced former executives to the celebrities and crypto influencers who promoted the exchange and its token, FTT.
As reported by DailyCoin last month, prominent crypto influencer Ben “Bitboy” Armstrong was named in one such lawsuit for allegedly engaging in the undisclosed paid promotion of FTX and FTT.
In an April 12 filing, following evidence of harassment against plaintiff lawyers, the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida ordered Bitboy to appear with his attorney on April 20.
‘I Will Not Be Showing Up’
Bitboy had taken to Twitter to verbally abuse the lawyers heading up the $1 billion lawsuit against him, alleging a failure to do due diligence. The social media campaign, in combination with alleged threats made over email and voicemail, led to the April 12 court summons.
Sponsored
Despite this, in a tweet posted on April 14, Bitboy asserted that he would not appear in court to address the harassment claims. Speaking directly to Adam Moskowitz, a lead attorney for the plaintiffs, the influencer described the court order as an “inconvenience.”
Bitboy’s latest display of bravado is likely ill-advised, as highlighted by several crypto community members.
Crypto Twitter Reacts
Some have suggested that the influencer risks being charged with contempt by ignoring the court order.
One user, @DigitalCLIQ, commented: “When keeping it real goes wrong.”
Australian commercial lawyer Bill Morgan, @Belisarius2020 on Twitter, implied that Bitboy was making a mistake but wished him luck, though somewhat sarcastically.
This is not the first time the community has poked holes in Bitboy’s defense. When he claimed he had never promoted FTX or its native token, FTT, the crypto Twitter community banded together to dig up screenshots and clips from now-deleted videos in which the influencer promoted FTT. However, this criticism and potential evidence have not stopped him from considering a countersuit.
Bitboy Mulling Countersuit
Bitboy has since announced plans to launch a countersuit for defamation in the $1 billion FTX case. In a tweet on March 27, the influencer asserted that he is “guaranteed” to win.
"I’m looking at the countersuit as an investment," he tweeted, adding, "I will make money on it. Legal fees + more."
Moskowitz could not be reached for comment at the time of writing.
On the Flipside
- FTX’s restructuring officers are considering plans to relaunch the crypto exchange later this year.
- FTX backers, partners, and promoters, including Silvergate Bank, Sequoia Capital, Thoma Bravo, Paradigm Investments, Tom Brady, and Larry David, have all been sued in the wake of the crypto exchange’s collapse.
Why You Should Care
Bitboy is a controversial figure in the crypto space due to a habit of allegedly conducting undisclosed paid promotions for fraudulent projects. But he is yet to be convicted in court in these instances. He remains one of the industry’s biggest influencers, with over one million followers on Twitter and 1.45 million subscribers on YouTube.
To learn more about the $1 billion lawsuit, read this:
$1B FTX Lawsuit: Crypto Twitter Calls Out BitBoy and Others
Interested in FTT’s recent price rally? Check this out:
