Bill Hinmanâs speech has been one of the most critical contentions around which the ongoing legal tussle between the SEC and Ripple has been resting. The former Director of the regulatory bodyâs Division of Corporation Finance made a speech in 2018 at the Yahoo Markets Summit. Back then, he declared Ethereumâs native token ETH not to be a security. Ripple clung to the speech, for it indirectly affirmed that XRPâlike ETHâainât security, for it exists on an open, decentralized, permissionless blockchain ledger.
Ripple had been seeking the documents relating to the speech for a reasonably long time, but the SECâon its partâhad repeatedly opposed producing them citing reasons like the breach of attorney-client privilege. In mid-July, the judge quashed the agencyâs claims and ruled that âthe documents must be produced.â
Nevertheless, the SEC opposed the judgeâs ruling and had ârespectfullyâ requested permission to file a 30-page opening brief and a 10-page reply brief in support of why it does not want to comply with the disclosure order.
However, post the latest court order, the Hinman documents have finally been turned over to Ripple.
Rippleâs fight was âworthâ it
Announcing the same, Rippleâs General Counsel Stuart Alderoty revealed that the documentsâcontaining internal SEC emails and drafts of his 2018 speechâhave been received after a waiting period of over 18 months and 6 court orders later. Even though the documents remain confidential for now, Alderoty asserted that âit was well worth the fight to get them.â He added,
âI always felt bad about the SECâs tactics, and I feel even worse about them now.â
Crypto Law founder John E Deaton, on the other hand, went on to exclaim that âtruth can be hid for only so long.â
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