According to ChainCatcher news, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced that the Massachusetts District Court has made a final ruling against CLS Global FZC LLC, a UAE company claiming to be a cryptocurrency market maker, finding it in violation of securities laws.The SEC accused CLS Global of participating in a scheme to manipulate the "NexFundAI" market, issuing and selling the cryptocurrency as a security to retail investors, and inducing investors to purchase by creating the illusion of active trading. CLS Global agreed to the judgment and is required to pay a civil penalty of $425,000, a disgorgement of $3,000, and pre-judgment interest of $80.39.

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, U.S. court documents reveal that on April 16, Judge Gregory Van Tatenhove of the Eastern District of Kentucky approved a 60-day pause in the lawsuit between the state attorney general coalition and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) regarding cryptocurrency regulation, on the grounds that the SEC acknowledged that the case may be resolved due to a leadership transition. Both parties did not oppose this motion and are required to submit a joint status update within 30 days. Previously, the coalition of 18 states accused the SEC of overstepping its authority in enforcing regulations against cryptocurrency companies, violating the Constitution.

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, on Wednesday, a federal judge in the United States agreed to pause the lawsuit filed by 18 state attorneys general and a DeFi lobbying group against the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), after all parties noted that the SEC's new leadership was in place. Last November, after Trump won the 2024 presidential election, these state attorneys general (all Republicans) filed the lawsuit in conjunction with the DeFi Education Fund. They accused the federal securities regulator of overstepping its authority in suing cryptocurrency exchanges. In documents submitted on Wednesday, the SEC stated that the lawsuit could come to an end following the confirmation of Paul Atkins as the new agency chair. The judge ordered the parties to submit a joint status report within 30 days, but paused all deadlines for 60 days.On Wednesday, another lawsuit filed by the DeFi Education Fund, the Texas Blockchain Council, and the Blockchain Association against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) was also dismissed. This lawsuit argued that the IRS's DeFi broker rules exceeded the agency's authority. Last week, Trump signed a resolution passed jointly by the House and Senate under the Congressional Review Act to repeal this rule. In documents submitted on Wednesday, the parties stated that the lawsuit had become "meaningless" after Trump signed the resolution.

ChainCatcher news, according to Ibtimes, five small businesses in the United States have filed a lawsuit in the U.S. International Trade Court, challenging the broad import tariff policy recently implemented by President Trump. The lawsuit, represented by the nonpartisan organization Freedom Justice Center, accuses Trump of overstepping his authority, illegally seizing Congress's power to levy taxes, and questioning the legitimacy of treating the trade deficit as a national emergency. The plaintiff businesses come from different states and industries, including a New York liquor importer and a Vermont bicycle apparel brand, all claiming that the tariffs have caused severe financial strain. The lawsuit seeks to prevent the enforcement of the tariffs and confirm that the president does not have the authority to unilaterally implement such measures. The White House argues that these tariffs are intended to protect American businesses and workers and address the long-standing trade deficit issue.

ChainCatcher news, according to crypto.news, Florida federal court judge Federico Moreno this week finally approved NBA star Shaquille O'Neal's settlement agreement with the Astrals NFT buyers' class action for $11 million. The judge stated in the issued order that the plaintiffs have reviewed and approved the fees requested by the lead class counsel as fair and reasonable.

According to ChainCatcher, as reported by Fortune, a dozen former employees of OpenAI submitted a legal brief on Friday in support of co-founder Musk's lawsuit aimed at maintaining the company's nonprofit status. Last year, Musk sued OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman, accusing OpenAI of deviating from its founding mission of developing artificial intelligence for the benefit of humanity rather than for corporate profit. OpenAI and Altman have denied these allegations. In the documents submitted to the federal court on Friday, these former employees stated that stripping control from the nonprofit organization would "fundamentally contradict" the company's mission, as it would lose oversight of the for-profit development entity. These former employees, who held technical and leadership positions in the company, claimed that nonprofit oversight is crucial to the overall strategy of the company, and this structure also aids in recruitment, as many employees were motivated to join by the nonprofit's mission.

ChainCatcher news, reporter Eleanor Terrett tweeted that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and Binance have jointly requested the court to pause the lawsuit for another 60 days. According to a recent document, both parties have had "productive" discussions, some of which relate to the work of the cryptocurrency special working group, and stated that continuing to pause the lawsuit is in the best interest of all parties. The court previously required both parties to submit a joint status report by April 14, 2025, and the case will be updated again in 60 days.Previously, it was reported that the U.S. court agreed to pause the legal dispute between Binance and the SEC until April, with both parties required to submit a report by April 14.

ChainCatcher news, digital asset management company Grayscale has reached a settlement with Osprey regarding legal disputes over marketing practices related to the Bitcoin Trust ETF.Court documents show that both parties must complete the organization and execution of the settlement agreement within the next 45 days. The case originated from Osprey's lawsuit against Grayscale in early 2023 for "misleading advertising" during the promotion of the conversion of GBTC to ETF, after which Grayscale received SEC approval to convert to an ETF in 2024. Previously, the court ruled in favor of Grayscale in February 2025, stating that the Connecticut Unfair Trade Practices Act cited by Osprey does not apply to securities cases. The details of the settlement have not been made public, and neither party has formally responded.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, the Thai Cabinet passed a resolution on April 8 to approve amendments to the laws related to digital asset businesses and cybercrime prevention. The new regulations will restrict the operation of foreign cryptocurrency peer-to-peer (P2P) trading platforms in Thailand, with violators facing fines of up to $8,700 and a maximum of three years in prison.The new regulations require cryptocurrency asset service providers (CASP) to collect and report transaction information related to online fraud. At the same time, institutions such as commercial banks, telecommunications operators, and social media service providers will share the responsibility for preventing cybercrime. The law will officially take effect after being published in the Royal Gazette of Thailand. It is worth noting that Thai regulators had previously approved pilot programs for cryptocurrency payments in places like Phuket and are considering approving cryptocurrency ETFs.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cryptonews, NBA star Shaquille O'Neal has agreed to pay $11 million to settle a class action lawsuit related to his involvement in the Solana-based NFT project Astrals.On April 1, Florida federal judge Federico Moreno approved the final settlement agreement, which was made public on April 8. The settlement establishes an $11 million fund for eligible investors who purchased Astrals NFTs or acquired the project's GLXY tokens between May 2022 and January 15, 2024. The lawsuit was initially filed in May 2023, accusing Shaquille O'Neal of promoting and helping to launch the Astrals NFT series, with the plaintiffs claiming this amounted to the sale of unregistered securities. They alleged financial losses due to O'Neal's promotional activities.

ChainCatcher news, according to Axios, the U.S. Republican Party acknowledges that they are feeling pressure from President Trump's tariff policies. Their Wall Street donors are also feeling this pressure, with some expressing dissatisfaction to key Republican lawmakers over the weekend.Trump is making it clear that he will not tolerate any restrictions on his power to impose tariffs. However, affected Republican donors hope lawmakers will help persuade the president, pointing out that the tariffs are destroying the U.S. economy.Trump is unhappy with the bill proposed by Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA). His veto threat sent a message to all Republican senators considering supporting the bill: "Don't even think about it, I don't believe that bill has a future," said Senate Republican leader John Thune.Lawmakers did not specifically mention the content of their conversations with donors, but their concerns have significantly increased after three consecutive days of turmoil in the U.S. stock market. On the other hand, some Republican senators, particularly Ted Cruz of Texas, have publicly criticized Trump's tariff policy, arguing that it is essentially a tax on American consumers.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, cryptocurrency lawyer James Murphy has invoked the Freedom of Information Act to sue the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for disclosing whether the agency has ever met with "Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto" and to make related notes and emails public.The lawsuit is based on comments made by DHS agent Rana Saoud during a meeting in 2019, where she stated that several DHS colleagues had met with four individuals involved in the creation of Bitcoin in California to inquire about their motivations and the ultimate goal of Bitcoin.Murphy stated that if the meeting did indeed take place, there should be records available, and he promised to "pursue the case to the end." The case is being assisted by former U.S. Assistant Attorney Brian Field, with the aim of promoting government transparency. Currently, the true identity of Satoshi Nakamoto remains undisclosed, and there is still controversy within the community about whether his identity should be made public.

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, the City of London Police has partnered with the law firm Gowling WLG to launch a civil asset recovery scheme. This scheme primarily targets cases that cannot be prosecuted criminally, providing victims of cryptocurrency fraud with the opportunity to recover their assets. Previously, the UK police successfully recovered stolen cryptocurrency worth £520,000 (approximately $671,000) for an 80-year-old man in a pilot project.

ChainCatcher news, according to Decrypt, the London police have partnered with law firm Gowling WLG to launch a civil asset recovery program. This program primarily targets cases where criminal prosecution is not possible, providing victims of cryptocurrency fraud with the opportunity to recover their assets.Previously, the UK police successfully recovered £520,000 (approximately $671,000) in stolen cryptocurrency for an 80-year-old man as part of a pilot project. This recovery operation was made possible by updates to the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, which granted police the power to freeze stolen digital assets.Gowling director Bríd Holden stated that they hope to increase victims' willingness to report incidents through this collaboration. The partnership will coordinate the recovery efforts between the police, victims, and their legal representatives to combat organized crime groups.

ChainCatcher news, experts Lu Jianping and Liu Jia from the Law School of Beijing Normal University stated in their research article that China's current prohibition policy not only fails to adequately address the inherent risks of virtual currencies but also exacerbates the underground and cross-border trends of virtual currency trading, resulting in a unique residual risk situation.The two experts suggest accelerating the formulation of the "Digital Property Law," classifying virtual currencies as non-financial commodities, and incorporating them into the management of individual overseas investment behaviors through scenario-based multiple regulations. At the same time, they recommend improving the relevant provisions of the "Anti-Money Laundering Law," including virtual asset service providers within the scope of specific non-financial institutions, strengthening the regulation of decentralized finance (DeFi) transactions and peer-to-peer (P2P) transactions, and establishing a sound mechanism for the recovery and disposal of related assets.

ChainCatcher news, according to Globenewswire, the NYSE-listed company Genius Group announced that it has filed a lawsuit against LZGI International, Inc (LZGI) and its two executives Peter Ritz and Michael Moe in the Southern District of Florida under the U.S. Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO), seeking $450 million in damages.Previous news, the New York District Court has prohibited Genius Group from selling stock to raise funds to purchase Bitcoin.

ChainCatcher news, according to Cointelegraph, investors in Bakkt Holdings have filed a class action lawsuit against the company and its executives, accusing them of making false or misleading statements and failing to adequately disclose important information related to major clients Webull and Bank of America (BoA), allegedly violating U.S. securities laws.The group of investors claims in the lawsuit that losing Bank of America and Webull would result in a "73% loss in revenue." The documents state that for most of 2023 and 2024, Webull accounted for 74% of Bakkt's crypto services revenue, while Bank of America accounted for 17% of its loyalty services revenue from January to September 2024.On March 17, 2025, Bakkt disclosed that Bank of America and Webull had no intention of renewing the agreement set to expire in 2025, causing the company's stock price to drop more than 27% within the following 24 hours. Investors accuse Bakkt of "misrepresenting the stability and/or diversity of its crypto services revenue" and failing to disclose that this revenue "largely depended on" contracts with Webull. The lawsuit states: "As a result of the defendants' wrongful conduct and inaction, along with the sharp decline in the company's market value, the plaintiffs and other class members suffered significant losses and damages."

ChainCatcher news, according to CoinDesk, Illinois plans to withdraw its staking-related lawsuit against Coinbase, becoming the fourth U.S. state to do so after Kentucky, Vermont, and South Carolina.Currently, Alabama, California, Maryland, New Jersey, Washington, and Wisconsin continue to pursue staking-related lawsuits against Coinbase. Among them, representatives from New Jersey and Washington confirmed that the cases are still ongoing, while California, Maryland, and Wisconsin declined to comment. Alabama has not yet responded to media requests for comment.Previous news, Kentucky withdrew its staking lawsuit against Coinbase.

ChainCatcher news, U.S. Representative Waters accused former President Trump on April 2 of using his political influence to promote his family business's issuance of stablecoins for profit, warning that Congress should reject related bills if it does not address the conflict of interest issue. She stated that Trump might be trying to push the government to adopt his private stablecoin in place of the dollar payment system. Lawmakers from both parties are concerned that Trump's involvement in the crypto industry poses ethical risks, complicating legislation. The related stablecoin bill is awaiting a committee vote.