The prolonged legal dispute between Ripple Labs and the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) has formally ended in a settlement, bringing an almost four-year court battle to a close. Ripple will pay a reduced civil penalty of $50 million , a 60% cut from the initially proposed $125 million. In exchange, the SEC has agreed to request the removal of a key injunction that previously required Ripple to register future securities sales. But the resolution has not sparked the market reaction many expected. XRP’s price has remained mostly unchanged, confounding speculators who anticipated a post-settlement rally. Meanwhile, the case has taken a new turn with an unexpected emergency filing from a third party. SEC drops injunction, Ripple to pay $50 million Under the terms of the settlement, Ripple avoids a prolonged legal process by paying a significantly reduced fine. The SEC will also ask Judge Analisa Torres to remove the “obey the law” injunction—an order that restricted Ripple from engaging in unregistered securities sales in the future. The decision comes months after the court ruled that Ripple’s XRP token was not, in itself, a security under federal law. While the resolution marks a legal win for Ripple, the broader crypto market has shown limited enthusiasm. XRP, which many traders expected to surge after the outcome, has remained stagnant. Unlike the price jumps seen in previous SEC settlements involving crypto platforms like Kraken and Cumberland, XRP has yet to respond, reflecting muted market sentiment or possibly pricing-in of the legal outcome beforehand. Keener files surprise evidence in case Just as the case appeared to be over, a new twist emerged. On 29 March 2025, an emergency motion was filed in the Ripple docket by a man named Justin W. Keener. Keener claims he possesses “decisive evidence in favour of the defendants and in favour of liberty for the American people.” According to his filing, this evidence is related to physical investment contracts he has been collecting, although no further details have been provided. Eleanor Terrett @EleanorTerrett · Follow 🚨NEW: An odd filing just now in the @SECGov vs. @Ripple docket — an emergency request to “present decisive evidence in favor of the defendants and in favor of liberty for the American people.” The letter, from a man named Justin W. Keener, doesn’t make clear what the so-called 4:13 AM · Apr 4, 2025 1.6K Reply Copy link Read 230 replies Keener, also known as “Jason W. Keener,” is not new to SEC enforcement. He was previously sued by the regulator for operating as an unregistered penny stock dealer and was ordered by the court to pay over $10 million in damages. His attempt to intervene in the Ripple case has raised questions about motive and relevance, especially given his own legal history with the agency. The emergency request does not appear to have any immediate bearing on the finalised settlement but has drawn fresh attention to the case file just as it seemed to be concluding. The filing has been listed in the public docket, and its inclusion may prompt further procedural clarifications from the court. XRP community awaits SEC statement Despite the closure, members of the XRP community are still awaiting a formal public statement from the SEC. In past settlements involving crypto entities, the Commission has issued detailed press releases outlining the rationale and implications. No such announcement has yet been published regarding the Ripple settlement. This silence has added to speculation around the implications of the deal, particularly regarding XRP’s legal classification in future transactions. As of now, the final judgement in favour of Ripple remains intact, including Judge Torres’ ruling that XRP is not a security when traded on public exchanges. However, the SEC retains authority over institutional sales and continues to monitor compliance with securities regulations across the digital asset space. XRP price flat despite settlement The most notable market reaction, or lack thereof, has been from XRP itself. Since news of the settlement emerged, XRP has traded sideways , failing to break past key resistance levels. Analysts suggest that the outcome may have already been priced into XRP, or that investors are awaiting further regulatory clarity before entering new positions. The absence of a price surge contrasts with patterns seen in similar cases. When Kraken and Cumberland reached their own settlements with the SEC, their associated tokens saw short-term gains. XRP’s flat performance highlights continued investor caution and possibly reflects a larger trend of uncertainty in the US crypto regulatory environment. The post XRP price unmoved as Ripple settles SEC case for $50 million appeared first on Invezz
