Elisa Rossi, the ex-wife of Solana co-founder Stephen Akridge, has filed a lawsuit accusing him of secretly earning millions of dollars from staking rewards tied to her SOL tokens.
The lawsuit, filed on December 24 in San Francisco Superior Court, alleges that Akridge profited from staking her tokens without her consent. Rossi claims that Akridge, who co-founded Solana Labs in 2018 and previously served as its principal engineer, abused his cryptocurrency expertise to retain control over her SOL tokens after their divorce. Akridge now leads the cybersecurity company Cyber Grant.
Allegations of Deception
Rossi’s complaint states that the couple’s March divorce settlement required them to divide their SOL holdings. However, she claims Akridge provided her with limited access to three accounts containing her Solana tokens, enabling him to continue staking them and earning significant rewards in secret.
According to Rossi, this deception went unnoticed until May 2024, when she discovered that Akridge had been generating millions of dollars in staking rewards from her tokens. She accuses him of taking advantage of her lack of expertise in cryptocurrency to conceal his actions.
Redacted Details
While the total number of SOL tokens and the exact amount of staking rewards involved remain redacted in the court filings, the lawsuit indicates that the stolen funds exceed $25,000. A separate filing mentions “significant sums” to justify sealing portions of the case.
Solana staking involves locking up SOL tokens to help validate blockchain transactions, with stakers earning additional SOL as rewards. The lawsuit highlights the financial implications of staking, especially given Solana’s recent surge in value. SOL reached a peak of $263 last month and continues to perform strongly, trading at $194 amid a wave of crypto trends like memecoins.
Attempts to Resolve the Dispute
Rossi claims she contacted Akridge multiple times between May and December, sending at least 12 text messages regarding the staking rewards. She alleges that Akridge refused to cooperate, even mocking her efforts to reclaim the funds. According to the lawsuit, Akridge allegedly told Rossi, “Good luck getting those staking rewards from me,” and laughed at her concerns.
Akridge has yet to comment on the lawsuit, and his representatives could not be reached at the time of writing. Cyber Grant, where Akridge serves as CEO, has also declined to comment on the matter.
