Ava Labs founder awarded $3 million in cryptocurrency defamation lawsuit

ChainCatcher news, Ava Labs founder and CEO Emin Gün Sirer has won a defamation lawsuit against a cryptocurrency influencer who publicly accused him of joining a Turkish terrorist organization in 2021, receiving $3 million in damages.

The lawsuit stems from accusations made by cryptocurrency influencer Emre Aksoy in a YouTube video in February 2021, claiming that Sirer colluded with an Islamic organization referred to by the Turkish government as the Fethullah Terrorist Organization (FETO). However, the lawsuit states that Aksoy is described as a "marketing expert" hired to promote products competing with those of Ava Labs.

On April 28, U.S. District Judge Beth Bloom stated that Sirer was entitled to $750,000 in general damages for defamation. Additionally, Bloom awarded Sirer $300,000 in "special damages" and $2 million in punitive damages to deter the defendant's malicious conduct. (Cointelegraph)