A legal dispute has emerged involving a co-founder of the Solana blockchain platform and his former wife, centering on claims of misappropriated cryptocurrency staking rewards. The lawsuit alleges that the co-founder improperly accessed and benefited from his ex-wife's digital assets.
Stephen Akridge, a key figure in Solana's development, is accused by his ex-wife, Elisa Rossi, of unlawfully taking millions of dollars in income derived from her Solana (SOL) token holdings. Rossi claims Akridge exploited his expertise in cryptocurrencies to secretly divert her staking rewards, which are earned by validating blockchain transactions.
The complaint, filed in San Francisco Superior Court, asserts that Akridge took advantage of a knowledge gap regarding cryptocurrencies and blockchain. This legal battle surfaces at a time when Solana has regained prominence in the cryptocurrency market, after previously experiencing price volatility following its association with the now-defunct FTX exchange.
While the exact value of the disputed tokens remains undisclosed, Rossi has requested confidentiality regarding specific financial details within the court filings, citing "significant sums" involved. Neither Solana Labs, the platform's developer, nor the attorneys representing Akridge and Rossi have responded to requests for comment. Similarly, Akridge has not commented via his new position as CEO of a California-based cybersecurity company.
Akridge, who formerly worked at Qualcomm Inc., played a significant role in Solana’s engineering alongside co-founders Anatoly Yakovenko and Raj Gokal. The conflict arose following Akridge and Rossi's divorce proceedings initiated in February 2023, after a decade of marriage. Rossi's lawsuit includes claims of breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and fraud, stemming from alleged misappropriation of her digital assets.
According to the lawsuit, between early March and mid-May, the crypto accounts in question were allegedly under Akridge’s control, with him receiving all of the commission on Rossi's allocated SOL tokens. The case is officially titled Rossi v. Akridge, and is being processed in the California Superior Court, San Francisco County.
