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Law firm The Moskowitz Law Firm has been granted permission by a Florida district court judge to serve a legal notice via tweet to a cryptocurrency YouTuber, Tom Nash.
The YouTuber is the last of ten defendants named in a class-action lawsuit against influencers alleged to have promoted now-bankrupt cryptocurrency exchange FTX without disclosing their compensation. Nash, who is believed to be residing in Georgia, will be served the notice through a tweet containing a legal notice URL shared by the law firm through its official Twitter account and tag Nash's Twitter account. The law firm is also required to send the URL in an email to Nash's publicly known email address.
Lawyers from The Moskowitz Law Firm claimed that they were unable to serve Nash through other means, and the judge agreed, stating that the filing outlines that Nash's frequent internet use suggests that it appears to be a dependable method of reaching him. The court ruling allows the district court to order an alternate method for service to be executed on foreign defendants, provided it is not against international agreements and is likely to effectively notify the defendant.
The other nine defendants named in the lawsuit comprise seven YouTubers, including BitBoy Crypto's Ben Armstrong, talent management company Creators Agency LLC, and its founder Erika Kullberg. Armstrong missed a court appearance on 20 April to address his alleged "harassment towards plaintiffs' counsel," instead posting pictures of himself on a beach in the Bahamas on Twitter and openly mocking the order.
Florida Court Allows Legal Notice via Tweet, Sparks Debate
Critics argue that the use of Twitter to serve legal notices could set a problematic precedent. Still, the judge emphasized that the decision was made based on the specific circumstances of the case and the likelihood that the defendant would receive legal notice. The filing states that Nash's use of electronic means, including Twitter, as reliable forms of contact and his publicly acknowledged email address provide evidence that the legal notice served via tweet is likely to be received. Cointelegraph attempted to obtain a comment from Nash, but as of now, there has been no response from him.