SEC Presses Ripple As Legal Battle Escalates Over Document Production

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is stepping up its legal action against Ripple, which is a big milestone. To far, the SEC has filed a motion in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, requesting that Ripple produce particular documents pertaining to its enforcement activity.

In its lawsuit from January 11, the SEC requests that Judge Sarah Netburn issue an injunction compelling Ripple to release financial statements for the years 2022 and 2023. Furthermore, the commission requests access to “contracts governing ‘Institutional Sales’ that were created after the complaint.” Due to a significant July 2023 verdict, in which a court ruled that XRP is only deemed a security if it is sold to institutional investors at a set price of $0.60, these contracts are very important.

Limited Discovery Aimed at Legal Clarity

The SEC highlights that Judge Torres needs this focused discovery in order to help him decide what steps to take next. After ruling that Ripple violated Section 5 of the Securities Act of 1933, the court must now determine if and to what extent remedy measures, including injunctions and civil fines, should be used.

Ripple submitted a move on January 11 in response to the SEC’s action, asking for an extension of two days until January 19 to reply. The intricacy of the legal subtleties involved in the continuing dispute is reflected in this addendum.

In December 2020, the SEC filed a complaint alleging that Ripple, its CEO Brad Garlinghouse, and executive chair Chris Larsen had raised money via the use of unregistered securities. The commission was determined to pursue the case with the cryptocurrency company even after indicating in October 2023 that it intended to withdraw the charges against Garlinghouse and Larsen.

The SEC and Ripple trial is scheduled to start in April. In addition to being important for Ripple, this court dispute highlights the regulatory complexities that exist inside the larger cryptocurrency market.