Ripple vs. SEC Lawsuit Could End with $125M Judgment Still in Place, Says Lawyer

The ongoing Ripple vs. SEC lawsuit may conclude without any changes to the $125 million judgment against Ripple, according to attorney Fred Rispoli.

The legal expert suggested that the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) might be waiting for new leadership before making a final decision. This has led to discussions about whether Ripple could negotiate a reduced penalty or alternative settlement.

Ripple vs. SEC Lawsuit Could End with $125M Judgment

The US SEC, currently led by a 2-1 pro-crypto commission under acting Chair Mark Uyeda, has not dropped its case against Ripple, despite withdrawing other cryptocurrency-related lawsuits. Legal analysts Fred Rispoli in an X post believes the agency is waiting for new SEC Chair candidate Paul Atkins to take office before making further decisions on the case.

Fred Rispoli has argued that dropping the appeal while keeping the $125 million fine would save the SEC from further legal battles.

“The best satisfaction of this, if true, is that it nullifies the thousands of hours of work put in by SEC staff to get the $125M judgment,” Rispoli stated in a post on X.

The Ripple vs. SEC lawsuit remains one of the most complex legal battles in the cryptocurrency industry. While the SEC recently closed cases against Kraken, Coinbase, and ConsenSys, it has yet to take similar action against Ripple. Some legal experts believe the injunction on Ripple’s institutional sales of XRP may be a key factor in the delay.

Speculation Over XRP Payments and Strategic Reserves

There has been speculation that Ripple could settle the $125 million fine by transferring XRP instead of cash. Vincent Van Code, a market analyst, suggested that Ripple might be negotiating to pay the fine in XRP, which could then be allocated to a government-controlled cryptocurrency reserve.

According to Van Code, “Some are speculating that Ripple, rather than pay $125 million in dollars, provides the equivalent in XRP to the new crypto strategic reserve.” However, attorney Rispoli doubts that such an arrangement is likely, given the slow progress in legal proceedings.

Meanwhile, Ripple’s escrow holdings, which contain approximately 37.1 billion XRP, have been at the center of discussions regarding potential government acquisitions. Over the weekend, U.S. President Donald Trump confirmed that XRP would be part of the country’s digital asset reserve, fueling speculation that Ripple’s escrow could be involved in the legal negotiations.

XRP Sales Restrictions Remain a Key Issue

The Ripple vs. SEC lawsuit has focused on whether XRP should be classified as a security. In 2023, Judge Analisa Torres ruled that Ripple’s institutional sales of XRP were securities transactions, leading to the $125 million fine. Ripple has since been working to challenge the injunction that restricts certain sales of XRP to banks and payment processors.

According to legal experts, Ripple’s efforts to overturn the injunction could be a reason why the SEC has not yet dropped its case. Attorney Jeremy Hogan has suggested that Ripple may be engaging with the Second Circuit Court of Appeals to contest the ruling.

Meanwhile, Ripple Chief Technology Officer (CTO) David Schwartz has dismissed concerns about XRP inflation. Schwartz reaffirmed that XRP’s total supply cannot be increased under the XRP Ledger’s code.

“There is literally no function to create any more XRP. The code to do such a thing does not exist,” he stated.

As for the Ripple vs. SEC lawsuit, it is currently under review at the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. The SEC submitted its arguments to the court on January 15, 2025, and Ripple has until April 16 to file its response.