Lawyer John Deaton and Ripple executives say tokenholder efforts influenced the outcome of the long-running lawsuit
The years-long legal battle between Ripple Labs and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) came to a close last month, but lawyers and executives say the XRP Army — the community of XRP tokenholders — played a decisive role in shaping the outcome.
Crypto lawyer John Deaton, who represented XRP holders in the case, said their contributions were pivotal. “No credible person can argue the XRP Army didn’t make a difference,” Deaton wrote on X. “If they do, they’re either ignorant to the facts or intentionally lying. We have conclusive evidence that we made a difference.”
Ripple acknowledges XRP Army’s impact
Ripple’s vice president and deputy general counsel Deborah McCrimmon echoed this view, saying the grassroots community effort helped strengthen Ripple’s defense.
Speaking on The Penta Podcast, McCrimmon explained how XRP holders provided material evidence for Ripple’s fair notice defense, which argued the SEC had failed to give clear guidance on whether XRP was a security. “We didn’t ask them to, but once they saw this defense in our answer, people started finding speeches, statements and government remarks about blockchain and XRP,” she said.
“I could have paid lawyers thousands of dollars to do that, and yet they were finding it and posting it on Twitter. That was tremendously helpful for me,” McCrimmon added.
Judge cited XRP holder affidavits
According to Deaton, Judge Analisa Torres directly referenced affidavits from XRP holders in her decision, which ruled that XRP itself is not a security. He noted there were over 2,000 exhibits filed, including his amicus brief, underscoring how the community’s work influenced the final judgment.
“Often people say one person can’t make a difference. I say: one person can inspire many, and together they can make a difference,” Deaton said.
Over the course of the case, XRP holders submitted affidavits, mined public records, and ran coordinated social media campaigns to pressure regulators.
For Ripple, the XRP Army’s unpaid research and advocacy helped deliver one of the most significant legal victories in crypto to date.
Disclaimer
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, investment, or legal advice. Cryptocurrency trading involves risk and may result in financial loss.
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