AI16Z and the creators of ELIZAOS face a collective lawsuit over allegations of false advertising and unjust enrichment

The law firm Burwick Law has filed a federal class action lawsuit in the Southern District of New York (SDNY) against the creators of AI16Z and ELIZAOS, including defendant Walters, accusing them of violating consumer protection laws, false advertising, and unjust enrichment. Legal documents show that the defendants are accused of leveraging the brand reputation of Andreessen Horowitz (a16z) to package the project and issued the AI16Z token on Solana on October 24, 2024, later renamed ELIZAOS. The complaint alleges that the project claimed to have self-investing AI agents, which were actually operated manually, and did not generate revenue during the lawsuit period.

On January 2, 2025, the token price reached a historical high of approximately $2.47, with a market capitalization exceeding $2.6 billion, and subsequently collapsed due to large holders reducing their positions. On-chain data shows that the most profitable traders realized approximately $39 million in profits.