Early Ethereum adviser sues law firm for $100M over crypto extortion case defense.

Law firm Covington & Burling have denied allegations by Steven Nerayoff, calling his lawsuit “meritless” and vowing to “vigorously” fight it.

Steven Nerayoff, an early adviser to the Ethereum network, is suing law firm Covington & Burling for $100 million claiming it mishandled his defense of a 2019 extortion case by the United States. 

Nerayoff alleged in a Sept. 6 lawsuit filed in the New York County Supreme Court that he was advised by Covington lawyer Alan Vinegrad not to turn over videos of “negotiations with the alleged victims” and emails and other messages to US prosecutors, which he claimed showed his dealings were “entirely lawful.”