Federal Judge Dismisses XRP Influencer's Defamation Suit: What Does It Mean?

A federal judge in Washington dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by XRP-focused influencer Jake Claver against content creator Zach Rector on September 2.

The court ruled that Rector’s 2025 videos about Claver’s businesses contained no actionably false statements.

Today, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington granted my motion under Washington's Uniform Public Expression Protection Act, dismissing the existing lawsuit brought against me by Jake Claver. The Court found no actionably false statement in my videos and…

— Zach Rector (@ZachRector7) September 2, 2026

What Rector’s Videos Actually Referenced

The dismissed lawsuit centered on three videos Rector posted alleging misconduct tied to Claver’s Digital Ascension Group and Digital Wealth Partners, according to reports on X. Those videos drew directly on Claver’s own admissions in a separate New York lawsuit filed by payments processor Verivend Inc.

In that case, Claver acknowledged fabricating emails, wire transfer confirmations, and a screenshot of a Verivend wallet dashboard showing a false balance exceeding $1 million, according to court documents.

Court filings also show Jake Claver admitted to impersonating Verivend employees on multiple occasions to generate fake email threads.

Judge Kymberly K. Evanson granted Rector’s motion under Washington’s Uniform Public Expression Protection Act, the state’s anti-SLAPP law designed to protect speech on matters of public concern.

“We may not agree with each other sometimes, but for Jake Claver to sue Zach Rector, a fellow XRP community voice, turning price‑call criticism into a $30m federal fight, only to be told the speech was protected, reflects more on the plaintiff than on the videos…,” one user said on X.

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The court dismissed all of Claver’s claims, including defamation, tortious interference, conspiracy, and breach of contract, without prejudice. Evanson also ruled that Rector is entitled to recover his attorneys’ fees and litigation costs. Claver has until September 23 to file an amended complaint.

Rector confirmed the ruling directly, saying the court found no false statement in his videos and that he is entitled to recover his fees because Claver’s suit targeted his free speech rights on a matter of public concern.

A Familiar Pattern in Crypto Defamation Cases

This is not the first time a prominent crypto influencer’s defamation claim against a critic has collapsed. In 2022, BitBoy Crypto founder Ben Armstrong sued fellow YouTuber Erling Mengshoel Jr., known as Atozy, over a video accusing him of promoting a failed token.

Armstrong voluntarily withdrew the case within weeks after Atozy crowdfunded more than $200,000 for his defense, as public backlash mounted. Unlike Claver’s case, no judge ever ruled on it, so it set no formal legal precedent.

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BitBoy suing "Atozy" for defamation due to Youtube videos calling him a scammer, Claiming damages in excess of $75k and emotional distress pic.twitter.com/6t45FXivjp

— db (@tier10k) August 16, 2022

Still, both episodes illustrate a recurring dynamic in the crypto space: defamation suits filed against outspoken critics have repeatedly struggled to survive public and legal scrutiny, often ending in withdrawal or dismissal rather than victory for the plaintiff.

The ruling drew a strong reaction within the XRP community online, with several observers characterizing it as a clear vindication of Rector’s reporting and a warning against using defamation claims to suppress criticism within the space.