Pro-XRP Lawyer John Deaton Predicts When Ripple Could Go Public

Pro-XRP lawyer John Deaton has given his opinion on when Ripple could go public. The legal expert also explained why he believes that the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) will withdraw its appeal against the crypto firm.

John Deaton Predicts When Ripple Could Go Public

In an X post, John Deaton mentioned that he believes a Ripple initial public offering (IPO) could happen either in the last quarter of 2025 or the first quarter of 2026.

The legal expert alluded to an interview by Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse, which suggested that the crypto firm could indeed go public. In the interview, Garlinghouse explained that they didn’t prioritize going public before now because it didn’t make sense under the previous SEC administration.

However, the Ripple CEO opened the possibility of them going public later in the future. This also looks to be a real possibility, considering Brad Garlinghouse’s comments highlighting how his firm has become more operational in the US since Donald Trump’s victory.

Meanwhile, Deaton remarked that the timing of Ripple’s potential IPO will depend on how aggressive Paul Atkins is as the US SEC Chairman.

The legal expert also predicted that the SEC could withdraw its appeal against Ripple, and the crypto firm would pay the earlier monetary judgment that Judge Analisa Torres awarded against it, ultimately concluding the case.

John Deaton added that if Atkins is confirmed quickly, the case could end in the first quarter of this year. However, he believes the 2nd quarter is more likely because the US Congress “moves slowly” with the confirmation process.

Why The SEC Will Withdraw The Appeal

John Deaton further explained why the US SEC will likely withdraw its appeal against Ripple. According to him, it makes no sense for the SEC to appeal Judge Torres’ ruling.

He remarked that appealing can only bring bad news for the SEC as an institution. The pro-XRP lawyer added that the Commission appealed only because the current Chair, Gary Gensler, was hurt by the defeat in court.

John Deaton also listed several reasons why the appeal doesn’t make sense. First, he stated that Judge Torres’s ruling is a federal district court ruling and is not binding precedent. He added that the Ripple pulling has very low “persuasive precedent implications.”

Furthermore, Deaton mentioned that Judge Torres’s ruling was very fact-specific, so it applies only to the facts of the Ripple case. This means that the decision has very limited persuasive power.

The pro-XRP lawyer also doesn’t believe applying all the Howey factors favors the SEC. He noted that Judge Torres didn’t apply all of them but added that the Commission would still likely lose if she were to do so. Deaton also mentioned that the SEC could lose “big” if the case gets to the Supreme Court.

Having outlined these points, John Deaton asserted that appealing the Ripple ruling is a “fool’s errand,” and he believes that Paul Atkins will see it that way. The lawyer’s comments come just as Ex-SEC lawyer Marc Fagel affirmed that there will be a settlement in the Ripple SEC case.