Christopher Harborne, proprietor of the Thailand-based aviation gas dealer AML International Ltd., has filed a lawsuit in opposition to The Wall Road Journal (WSJ), accusing the publication of defamation.
The authorized motion, initiated in a Delaware state court docket on Feb. 28, targets allegations made in a WSJ article from March 2023, which Harborne claims falsely accused him and his firm of partaking in unlawful actions in reference to stablecoin issuer Tether and crypto change Bitfinex.
The disputed article, titled “Crypto Firms Behind Tether Used Falsified Paperwork and Shell Firms to Get Financial institution Accounts,” reported that Tether and Bitfinex, going through challenges in accessing the worldwide banking system, allegedly resorted to utilizing intermediaries, creating shell corporations, and falsifying paperwork.
In keeping with Harborne’s lawsuit, the article wrongfully implicated him and AML International in “committing fraud, laundering cash, and financing terrorists.” The WSJ later added an editor’s notice to the article on Feb. 21, 2024, every week earlier than the lawsuit was filed, stating {that a} part concerning Harborne and AML International had been eliminated to keep away from any potential implication of wrongdoing of their try and open an account at Signature Financial institution.
Wall Road Journal responds
The WSJ has responded to the lawsuit, stating that after Harborne and AML International disputed the reporting about them, the publication reviewed and eliminated the part in query, adhering to their editorial requirements. The newspaper additionally criticized the lawsuit for holding what it calls “inaccuracies and distortions” and expressed its intention to mount a sturdy authorized protection.
Harborne’s connection to Bitfinex is highlighted within the lawsuit as a roughly 12% possession stake, which he acquired by way of Bitfinex’s reimbursement plan for purchasers affected by a 2016 hack of the crypto change. The lawsuit clarifies that Harborne has by no means held any administration or government position at Bitfinex or Tether, figuring out him as a minority shareholder.
