Federal Judge Axes XRP Influencer's $30M Defamation Suit Against Content Creator

A federal judge in Washington has dismissed a defamation lawsuit filed by XRP-focused influencer Jake Claver against content creator Zach Rector. The ruling, issued on September 2, found that Rector's videos did not contain any actionably false statements.

The lawsuit centered on three videos Rector posted in 2025, alleging misconduct tied to Claver's Digital Ascension Group and Digital Wealth Partners. These allegations were based on Claver's own admissions in a separate New York lawsuit filed by payments processor Verivend Inc.

Court documents show that Claver acknowledged fabricating emails, wire transfer confirmations, and a screenshot of a Verivend wallet dashboard showing a false balance exceeding $1 million. He also admitted to impersonating Verivend employees on multiple occasions to generate fake email threads.

The judge granted Rector's motion under Washington's Uniform Public Expression Protection Act, the state's anti-SLAPP law designed to protect speech on matters of public concern. The court dismissed all of Claver's claims, including defamation, tortious interference, conspiracy, and breach of contract, without prejudice. Rector is entitled to recover his attorneys' fees and litigation costs.