Ripple Fined $125 Million for Securities Violations, Judge Imposes Restrictions

District Judge Analisa Torres of the Southern District of New York has imposed a $125.035 million fine on Ripple Labs. This decision follows a ruling that 1,278 institutional sale transactions by Ripple violated securities laws. The fine is significantly less than the $1 billion in disgorgement and prejudgment interest and $900 million in civil penalties sought by the SEC.

Ripple’s Institutional Sales Under Scrutiny

The ruling stems from Judge Torres’ July 2023 decision, which found Ripple in violation of federal securities laws through its direct sale of XRP to institutional clients. However, she ruled that Ripple’s programmatic sales of XRP to retail clients through exchanges did not violate securities laws. The SEC’s attempt to appeal this part of the ruling was unsuccessful while the case was ongoing.

Judge Torres also imposed a ban on Ripple from future violations of federal securities laws. She noted that while she isn’t concluding that Ripple has violated any laws post-lawsuit, there is a risk the company “may well ‘cross the line’” concerning its “on-demand liquidity” offerings. “Rather, the Court finds that Ripple’s willingness to push the boundaries of the Order evinces a likelihood that it will eventually (if it has not already) cross the line,” she stated. “On balance, the Court finds that there is a reasonable probability of future violations, meriting the issuance of an injunction.”

The injunction requires Ripple to file a registration statement if it plans to sell any securities. This move is intended to ensure Ripple’s compliance with federal securities laws moving forward.

The SEC is likely to appeal the July 2023 ruling now that the judge has issued a sentence. This comes after Judge Torres denied the SEC’s motion for an interlocutory appeal last year. Following this denial, the SEC and Ripple settled charges involving CEO Brad Garlinghouse and other executives.