TerraUSD Co-Founders Face Lawsuit Over $40bn Crypto Collapse

 

A South Korean law firm is gathering information from investors crippled by the TerraUSD and Luna cryptocurrency meltdown earlier this month.

The LKB & Partners law firm filed a lawsuit against Terraform Labs co-founder and chief executive Do Kwon and cofounder Daniel Shin, the Seoul-based Munwha Ilbo newspaper reported.

Kim Hyeon-kwon, an attorney at the law firm, submitted the complaint to the Seoul Southern District Prosecutors’ Office, alleging fraud and fundraising without approval, South Korea’s Yonhap News Agency reported.

Investors are believed to have lost more than $40 billion after TerraUSD became untethered from its 1:1 US dollar peg. Just one crypto exchange, Binance, reportedly lost $1.6 billion.

 

ALSO SEE: Trash-Talking Crypto Whiz Created $40bn Crash – NYT

 

Terraform Dissolved Days Earlier

The law firm is soliciting information from alleged victims on its website. A questionnaire seeks a claimant’s name and contact details, as well as the type of crypto investment, date and amount of purchase.

Yang Jae-sok, a legal assistant at the firm, told Asia Financial the company had not yet decided if it would pursue cases for losses by non-Korean citizens.

Official records show Do Kwon dissolved Terraform just days before the TerraUSD stablecoin collapsed, according to Bitcoin News.

The collapse of TerraUSD and an associated crypto token called Luna has called the $180 billion stablecoin market into question.

“A stablecoin known as TerraUSD experienced a run and declined in value,” US Treasury secretary Janet Yellen said last week. “I think that this simply illustrates that this is a rapidly growing product and there are rapidly growing risks.”

 

• George Russell

 

 

 

READ MORE:

Cryptocurrency More Like Kryptonite, Says Top Fund Manager

Russia Moves Towards Legalising Crypto, Says Minister

Crypto Collapse Vindicates China Ban – Economic Daily