US Judge Transfers Binance Lawsuit to Florida
A U.S. federal judge has ordered the transfer of a lawsuit against Binance from Washington to Florida, citing the similarity between two cases and stating that consolidating them would save time and prevent overlapping litigation.
Us Judge Transfers Binance Lawsuit To Florida
US District Judge Barbara Rothstein has approved Binance’s request to transfer a lawsuit involving allegations of money laundering facilitation to the Southern District of Florida, citing the existence of a similar case already filed there.
The lawsuit, filed in Washington in August 2024, revolves around the same core issue as a case brought in Florida in June 2023 — namely, accusations that Binance allowed cybercriminals to use its platform to launder illicit funds, according to Judge Rothstein’s April 21 order.
“Although the two complaints describe the proposed classes with slightly different wording, both encompass the same group of individuals whose cryptocurrency was stolen and transferred to Binance.com accounts during the relevant time period,” Rothstein stated.
“Therefore, the Court concludes that the plaintiff classes are sufficiently similar to justify applying the first-to-file rule.”
The first-to-file rule allows a court to decline jurisdiction over a matter when an earlier complaint involving the same parties and issues has already been filed in another district. Generally, the court where the initial lawsuit was filed retains jurisdiction, according to legal resource LSD Law.
