NRL star Trevor Lawrence and YouTubers Kevin Paffrath and Tom Nash have reportedly opted to
settle with investors who alleged they were misled by their FTX promotions.
NRL quarterback Trevor Lawrence and YouTube influencers Kevin Paffrath and Tom Nash have
reportedly settled a lawsuit over alleged inadequate compensation disclosure in
their promotions for the now-defunct FTX crypto exchange.
According to a Sept. 16 Bloomberg report, the three high-profile individuals have entered proposed
agreements, however the settlement terms were not disclosed.
These are the first high-profile celebrities to reach a settlement in the class-action lawsuit, following
accusations against numerous influencers and celebrities for endorsing
the now-defunct crypto exchange without the necessary disclosures.
Other celebrity defendants in the class-action lawsuit include Tom Brady, Gisele Bündchen,
Kevin O’Leary, Shaquille O’Neal, Naomi Osaka and David Ortiz.
Paffrath and Nash are among eight Youtubers also being sued in the lawsuit, Graham Stephan,
Andrei Jikh, Jaspreet Singh, Brian Jung, Jeremy Lefebvre and Erika Kullberg.
The talent management company behind the promotion of FTX, Creators Agency LLC are also named in the lawsuit.
On September 11, a court filing revealed that FTX is mulling over how it can reclaim the millions of
dollars it paid to celebrity athletes and sport teams that promoted the crypto exchange before its insolvency in November 2022.
According to the filing, Trevor Lawrence received $205,555, while Shaquille O’Neal was paid approximately $750,000.
On March 15, the class-action lawsuit was initially filed, claiming that the influencers inadequately
disclosed the true nature of their FTX, which was, in fact, paid content rather than content stemming from genuine discovery:
“Though FTX paid Defendants handsomely to push its brand and encourage their followers to invest,
Defendants did not disclose the nature and scope of their sponsorships and/or endorsement deals,
payments and compensation, nor conduct adequate (if any) due diligence.”
