The U.S. Securities and Alternate Fee (SEC) agreed to pay $150,000 to settle a federal Freedom of Info Act (FOIA) lawsuit over its investigations into Ethereum, in accordance with a joint standing report filed July 22.
Historical past Associates Inc. and the SEC requested the U.S. District Court docket for the District of Columbia to dismiss the case after reaching a settlement deal. Beneath the settlement, the company will produce the remaining responsive paperwork and pay the flat price to cowl the plaintiff’s authorized charges.
Historical past Associates, which offers skilled historic analysis, writing and archival companies to authorities businesses, filed the lawsuit in June 2024. Engaged on behalf of Coinbase, the agency had submitted three public information requests the 12 months earlier than. These filings sought paperwork on SEC investigations into Zachary Coburn and Enigma MPC, together with information on how Ethereum shifted to a proof-of-stake system.
The lawsuit compelled the SEC handy over hundreds of paperwork, with the courtroom explicitly ordering the company to prioritize all information and communications despatched, acquired or evaluated by then SEC Chair Gary Gensler regarding Ethereum’s migration from a proof-of-work blockchain to a proof-of-stake community.