In a surprising turn of events, internet personality Logan Paul has filed a defamation lawsuit against YouTuber Stephen Findeisen, better known as Coffeezilla, over a series of videos that allege Paul’s involvement in a scam related to his failed NFT game, CryptoZoo.
The lawsuit, filed in a San Antonio district court on June 27, 2024, seeks $75,000 in damages, plus additional legal fees and additional damages as deemed necessary by the court. Paul’s team claims that Findeisen “maliciously and repeatedly” published false statements accusing Paul of operating a scam in connection with CryptoZoo.
Coffeezilla’s CryptoZoo Exposé
The three-part video series in question was published in late 2022 and quickly gained widespread attention, garnering tens of millions of views. In the videos, Coffeezilla accused Paul of promoting CryptoZoo and collecting money from NFT holders, but failing to pay developers to actually create the game, leaving investors and participants without a functioning product.
Logan Paul’s Response and Allegations
In response to the Coffeezilla videos, Paul released a video stating that the game was still under development. However, this video has since been removed from YouTube.
The court filings allege that Coffeezilla omitted key information in his videos, claiming that Paul “never intended to scam anyone but, to the contrary, had always intended to build a legitimate blockchain-based game.” The documents blame adviser Jake Greenbaum and developer Eduardo Ibanez for the project’s failure, stating that Ibanez “turned out to be a charlatan who … had incompetently overseen the process and failed to pay his team of developers.”
Logan Paul’s Lawsuit and Mitigation Efforts
“Paul brings this defamation suit to hold Findeisen accountable for his actions and to hold him liable for the immense harm that he has caused to Paul’s reputation through the intentional and reckless dissemination of defamatory falsehoods.”
After the CryptoZoo project failed to materialize and following Coffeezilla’s videos, Paul announced that he would carry out a buyback of CryptoZoo NFTs to mitigate losses incurred by those who purchased them, paying out of pocket.
Conclusion
The ongoing legal battle between Logan Paul and Coffeezilla showcases the complexities and challenges faced in the cryptocurrency and NFT space. As the industry continues to evolve, this case highlights the importance of transparency, accountability, and the need for factual reporting to protect both creators and investors.