Celsius files lawsuit to recover $150M from staking platform StakeHound

  • July 11, 2023

Bankrupt crypto lender Celsius Network has filed a lawsuit against liquid staking platform StakeHound after the company allegedly failed to return $150 million worth of tokens owned by Celsius.

According to a court document filed by Celsius, the company placed 40 million Polygon

POL$0.2994
Polygon
Change (24h)
1.48%
Market Cap
Volume (24h) $11.39M
View More
, 66,000 Polkadot
DOT$4.52
Polkadot
Change (24h)
4.69%
Market Cap $6.31B
Volume (24h) $169.80M
View More
, 25,000 staked Ether (stETH) and 35,000 Ether
ETH$2,244
Ethereum
Change (24h)
3.44%
Market Cap $270.34B
Volume (24h) $16.44B
View More
. Celsius highlighted that these tokens are worth a total of $150 million.

In exchange for the tokens, Celsius received “stTokens,” which they could deploy on other investments or return to StakeHound to get their crypto back. However, the recent filing alleged that StakeHound demanded arbitration against Celsius and argued that it “has no obligation” to exchange native ETH for the stTokens after it was confronted by its breaches of duty to Celsius.

Celsius files lawsuit to recover $150M from staking platform StakeHound

According to Celsius, StakeHound’s arbitration filing violates section 362 of the United States Bankruptcy Code, also known as the automatic stay rule. This rule disallows creditors from taking legal action against or collecting debt from a company or person as soon as they file for bankruptcy.

AdvertisementGet up to $200 with Coinbase: the trusted platform for buying and managing crypto. Sign up!

In addition, Celsius also argued in the filing that “StakeHound should be required to immediately turn over Celsius’ property” and pay compensation for damages that arose from its breaches of contractual duties.

Cointelegraph reached out to Celsius Network and StakeHound for comments but did not receive a response by publication.

Related: CFTC investigators conclude ex-Celsius CEO Mashinsky broke US rules: Report

In 2022, it was reported that Celsius lost 35,000 ETH when StakeHound lost private keys for a total of around 38,000 ETH. The firm argues that it has been relieved of its obligation to pay back these assets.

Since its bankruptcy filing almost a year ago , Celsius has been trying to make an effort to restructure. On Feb. 15, Celsius presented a restructuring plan that pushes for creating a public platform owned by Earn creators, which will be sponsored by digital asset investment firm NovaWulf.

Collect this article as an NFT to preserve this moment in history and show your support for independent journalism in the crypto space.

Magazine: Crypto regulation — Does SEC Chair Gary Gensler have the final say?