A federal judge dismissed XRP-focused influencer Jake Claver’s defamation lawsuit against content creator Zach Rector on September 2, 2026, finding that Rector’s 2025 videos about Claver’s businesses contained no actionably false statements. Judge Kymberly K. Evanson granted Rector’s motion under Washington’s Uniform Public Expression Protection Act, an anti-SLAPP law protecting speech on matters of public concern. The court dismissed Claver’s claims for defamation, tortious interference, conspiracy and breach of contract without prejudice, while ruling that Rector could recover attorneys’ fees and litigation costs. The videos concerned allegations tied to Digital Ascension Group and Digital Wealth Partners and drew on admissions Claver made in a separate New York lawsuit brought by Verivend Inc. Court documents said Claver admitted fabricating emails, wire-transfer confirmations and a Verivend wallet screenshot showing a balance exceeding $1 million, as well as impersonating Verivend employees to create fake email threads. Claver has until September 23 to file an amended complaint. The case echoes a 2022 dispute in which BitBoy Crypto founder Ben Armstrong withdrew a defamation lawsuit against YouTuber Erling Mengshoel Jr., known as Atozy, after public backlash and a defense crowdfunding campaign exceeding $200,000. Unlike the Washington case, no judge ruled on Armstrong’s lawsuit.