Judge dismisses most charges against FTX’s celebrity boosters

is a policy reporter at The Verge covering surveillance, the Department of Homeland Security, and the tech-right. A federal judge in Florida dismissed most claims against athletes, actors, YouTubers, and other celebrities who endorsed Sam Bankman-Fried’s crypto exchange, ruling that there isn’t sufficient proof that they knew about FTX or Bankman-Fried’s fraudulent acts. The high-profile defendants, sued by a group of FTX investors, include Tom Brady and his ex-wife, the model Gisele Bündchen; Shark Tank judge Kevin O’Leary; Larry David; Shohei Ohtani; Udonis Haslem; David Ortiz; Naomi Osaka; and Steph Curry, as well as the entire Golden State Warriors franchise. A group of “YouTuber defendants” who promoted FTX on social media were also sued. Judge K. Michael Moore of the Southern District of Florida cleared both groups of defendants of most claims, writing that the plaintiffs failed to “adequately plead causation” and “plausibly argue Defendants’ knowledge of FTX fraud.” The celeb ... Read full article.