An Update on the California Cryptocurrency Unclaimed Property Class Action

In our last post, we mentioned a potential class action against a “digital currency exchange” dealing in Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies brought by a private plaintiff alleging, among other things, violations of California’s unclaimed property laws.  It appears that specific claim will no longer be at issue in the case.  In mid-May, the defendant, Coinbase, filed a motion to dismiss asking the court to throw out the complaint.  In its motion, Coinbase argued that the plaintiff could not bring a claim against Coinbase for failure to comply with the California Unclaimed Property Act, arguing that such a claim could only be brought by the State Comptroller’s Office.

In response, the plaintiffs amended their claims, and removed the cause of action for violation of the Unclaimed Property Laws.  Coinbase’s response to the amended complaint in due in July.