Ripple vs SEC: Will Hinman emails go public? This crypto lawyer believes…

• Crypto lawyer John Deaton believes that the controversial Hinman documents will be made public at some point.
• He said the ongoing crypto lawsuits are likely to request access to the documents.

Crypto lawyer John Deaton has predicted that the controversial Hinman emails and documents in the U.S. SEC’s lawsuit against Ripple will be made public. These documents include speech drafts and communications of former SEC director William Hinman.

Deaton has gained popularity in the crypto space for his coverage of ongoing crypto lawsuits, particularly his observations in SEC vs Ripple. 

Hinman emails may be declared as judicial documents

John Deaton took to Twitter on 19 March to share his opinion on the Hinman documents issue. Deaton gained popularity in the crypto space for his coverage of ongoing crypto lawsuits, particularly his observations in SEC vs Ripple. 

Regarding the Hinman emails and speech drafts: the SEC has requested for them to remain sealed, even after Judge Torres’ ruling on summary judgment. I believe the emails and speech drafts will be made public at some point, regardless of Judge Torres’ decision on whether to seal. https://t.co/BcYTuh9QrW

— John E Deaton (@JohnEDeaton1) March 19, 2023

In his lengthy Twitter thread, Deaton highlighted that the regulator has requested the court to keep the Hinman documents sealed. This is despite Judge Analisa Torres’ ruling on summary judgment, where the SEC was ordered to hand over the documents to Ripple.

Ripple case may have little effect on email release

The lawyer believes that the emails will be made public regardless of the judge’s decision on whether to seal them. He said if Judge Torres cites Hinman’s emails and drafts or relies on them in any way, there is a 75% chance that they will be declared “judicial documents” and subsequently unsealed.

However, if the judge decides otherwise, Deaton predicts that the documents will be made public because of other crypto lawsuits. 

Why am I so confident? There will be more enforcement actions filed, including against @coinbase @kraken and @BinanceUS, IMO. I predicted the exchanges would be sued for selling securities last year. I still believe it’s coming. But even before that, other litigation is ongoing.

— John E Deaton (@JohnEDeaton1) March 19, 2023

Deaton simply stated:

“Why am I so confident? There will be more enforcement actions filed, including against @coinbase, @kraken and @BinanceUS, IMO. I predicted the exchanges would be sued for selling securities last year. I still believe it’s coming. But even before that, other litigation is ongoing.”

The crypto lawyer also cited Dragonchain’s ongoing legal battle with the SEC. He believes these lawsuits are likely to request the Hinman documents at some point to strengthen their cases.