The three most likely outcomes for SEC v. Ripple lawsuit
From the day the Jay Clayton-chaired Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed its lawsuit against Ripple in December 2020, the final outcome has been up for debate. According to one side, commissioners would obviously prevail on the merits of SEC v. Ripple et al. In contrast, investors who appreciated the thousands of percentage point gains in XRP’s price since its Initial Coin Offering (ICO), found it hard to sympathize with the SEC’s attempt to protect investors from non-existent harm. The lawsuit was born into controversy. Clayton resigned as chairman one day after commissioners jointly filed their SEC lawsuit, suspiciously stepping down from his term six months early. Without explaining itself, the SEC also dropped its personal charges against Ripple co-founders Chris Larsen and Brad Garlinghouse. As litigation dragged on, certainty about any particular outcome faded. Ripple’s well-paid lawyers guided the suit through proceedings for years with no final decisi...