By
Godfrey Benjamin
April 17th, 2024
Crypto lawyer Kyle Roche has established his own practice after being forced out of Roche Freedman, a law firm he co-founded.
Prominent crypto class action attorney Kyle Roche has launched his own practice after departing from the crypto law firm Roche Freedman. Although Roche is one of the co-founders of Roche Freedman, a controversial video leak prompted his departure from the law firm. The lawyer was embroiled in a scandal following a series of video leaks last month that allegedly showed him discussing improper actions. According to reports, Roche’s demeanor captured on tape appeared to indirectly support blockchain developer Ava Labs. He also allegedly bluffed about suing crypto companies and using his legal position to access private data for personal benefit. Following the scandal, Roche Freedman got kicked off one of its high-profile cases.
In addition to Kyle Roche’s exit, the law firm rebranded itself as Freedman Normand Friedland LLP. This came days after a judge stated that Roche Freedman carried too much “metaphorical baggage”. In an issued statement, the rebranded law firm said:
“We are focused on continuing to provide our clients with top quality representation and are proud of the firm’s accomplishments to date. We wish Kyle the best in his future endeavors.”
Meanwhile, following the establishment of his own solo legal practice, Roche will continue to represent clients in that bankruptcy.
Roche Remains Defensive on Implicative Videos
Roche claims the leaked video was heavily edited and taken out of context. In addition, he claims that the filming happened without his consent and while he was intoxicated.
The footage sparked conclusions that the lawyer previously filed cases on behalf of Ava Labs. Furthermore, it also suggested that the subsequent discovery process was used in other class actions to benefit Roche Freedman. However, both Roche Freedman and Ava Labs have vehemently denied these claims.
Within a week of the video’s publication, Roche opted out of participating in multiple Roche Freedman class action lawsuits against major crypto companies. These include the TRON Foundation and Binance, direct competitors of Ava Labs.
Roche Freedman Struggled to Keep Crypto Class Action Cases Following Kyle Roche Scandal
Roche Freedman hoped that removing Roche would be sufficient to allow the company to remain on several cases. Furthermore, the embattled law firm was also looking to remain active on numerous other class action lawsuits against prominent crypto companies. However, this did not prove to be the case. The defendants in the Tether class action $1.4 trillion suit called for the removal of Roche Freedman as interim class counsel in the case.
However, the embattled crypto legal firm opposed those requests, claiming they already isolated Roche from the class action group. In addition, Roche Freedman also argued at the time that they had forfeited any financial interests in the cases once led by Roche. However, these arguments did not prove sufficient enough to prevent the law firm from replacement.