Stephen Akridge, co-founder of Solana , is facing a lawsuit from his ex-wife, Elisa Rossi, who accuses him of illicitly profiting from her Solana tokens through staking rewards. Filed on December 24 in San Francisco’s Superior Court, the complaint alleges that Akridge earned millions in rewards without Rossi’s consent from the Solana (SOL) tokens she claims belong to her.
Rossi contends that Akridge, who served as the principal engineer for Solana Labs after its establishment in 2018 and now holds the position of CEO at Cyber Grant, manipulated the couple’s divorce agreement from March. The agreement was supposed to divide their assets, including SOL tokens, but Rossi argues that Akridge exploited his technical knowledge in cryptocurrencies to retain control of the tokens and continue benefiting from staking rewards.
According to the lawsuit, Akridge only granted Rossi’s Solana wallet access to three accounts containing the tokens. This maneuver allowed him to secretly stake her SOL tokens and earn millions in rewards until the deception was uncovered in May 2024. The exact number of tokens and the total amount allegedly appropriated by Akridge have been redacted in the legal documents, although it is noted that the claims exceed $25,000.
The value of SOL has seen significant fluctuations, reaching an all-time high of $263 last month, with an increase of over 80% year-to-date, largely driven by emerging crypto trends such as memecoins. SOL allows users to earn additional tokens through staking, which involves locking up the currency to validate transactions on the blockchain in exchange for rewards.
In her suit, Rossi indicated that she communicated with Akridge multiple times concerning the alleged misappropriated rewards. The complaint states that Akridge showed little willingness to return the earnings, reportedly responding dismissively to her inquiries. Akridge has not publicly commented on the lawsuit as of now, and there is no information available regarding his legal representation.
