Sean T. Masson

Active Matters

• In re Ethereummax Investor Litigation, No. 2:22-cv-00163 (C.D. Cal.) (alleging that the Company improperly used celebrity endorsements to pump up the trading volume for the EMAX token so that insiders could unload their holdings onto unsuspecting cryptocurrency investors);
• Combs, et al. v. SafeMoon LLC, et al., No. 2:22-cv-00642 (D. Utah) (alleging the Company and executives repeatedly misled investors about the status of the project and improperly used celebrity promoters to artificially increase the trading volume for the SAFEMOON tokens in order to sell off their pre-sale holdings);
• Patterson v. Terraform Labs PTE Ltd., et al., No. 3:22-cv-03600 (N.D. Cal.) (alleging a fraudulent scheme by Terraform insiders to prop up the price of the stablecoin UST by secret human intervention instead of an automated algorithm);
• Goines v. Celsius Network, LLC, et al., 2:22-cv-04560 (D.N.J.) (alleging that executives at crypto exchange Celsius sold interest bearing savings accounts and native CEL tokens without registering them first with the SEC); and
• Real, et al. v. Yuga Labs, LLC, et al., No. 2:22-cv-08909 (C.D. Cal.) (alleging the Company and its executives conspired with high-profile celebrity promotors and crypto payment service Moonpay to mislead investors into purchasing Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs and ApeCoin tokens).

Besides serving as counsel to aggrieved investors, Mr. Masson has also been sought after as an expert in the field of cryptocurrency-related litigation, giving continuing legal education programs on the topic and being quoted in various news publications, including the following:

• Trump’s Crypto Fandom Isn’t the End of State or Investor Suits, Bloomberg (3/31/25)—https://news.bloomberglaw.com/securities-law/trumps-crypto-fandom-isnt-the-end-of-state-or-investors-suits
• Sotheby’s, Paris Hilton and Justin Bieber sued over Bored Ape NFTs, The Times (8/11/23)
• Galaxy’s U.S. Move Risks New Delay From Lawsuit Linked to Luna, Forbes (8/2/23)
• “Ripple” effect from ruling in SEC crypto case could be game-changer for class action defendants, Reuters (7/14/23)
• Featured in German public radio and television broadcast, Billion Dollar Apes—Art, Greed, NFTs, ZDFand DEUTSCHLANDFUNK (6/15/23)
• Kim Kardashian, Floyd Mayweather can’t evade EMAX crypto investors’ claims, judge says, Reuters (6/7/2023)
• Scott+Scott Beats Boies Schiller to Lead Voyager Class Suit, Law360 (4/19/23)
• Celebrities Who Endorsed Crypto, NFTs Land in Legal Crosshairs After Investor Losses, Wall Street Journal (1/23/23)
• Presented in Emerging Trends in Law—Crypto Litigation: An Update, New York State Bar Association (12/14/22)
• Justin Bieber, Madonna, Adidas and more named in class action cryptocurrency lawsuit, FoxBusiness (12/9/22)
• FTX’s Bankman-Fried, Tom Brady and other celebrity promoters sued by crypto investors, Reuters (11/17/22)
• Collapse of stablecoin TerraUSD sparks bold ‘scheme liability’ suit, Reuters (6/21/22)
• Featured in the ABC program, Four Corners’ episode “Crypto Mania: Behind the hype of cryptocurrencies” (5/30/22)

Prior to entering the private sector, Mr. Masson served as an Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan DA’s Office, successfully arguing over 40 appeals in state and federal courts and gaining extensive experience with large-scale government and regulatory investigations.

Mr. Masson’s publications include:

• On The Corporate Right of Self-Defense and Crypto-related Cybersecurity, J. Law & Cyber Warfare (forthcoming 2026);
• Heavy Touch Reporting Requirements Infringe on the Corporate Right to Bear Digital Arms, 14 Loy. U. Chi. J. Reg. Compliance 59 (2025);
• The Presidential Right of Publicity, 2010 Boston College Intellectual Property & Technology Forum 01200; and
• Note, Cracking Open the Golden Door: Revisiting U.S. Asylum Law’s Response To China’s One-Child Policy, 37 Hofstra Law Review 1135 (2009).