Coinbase faces class action lawsuit in California over XRP sale

A new lawsuit in California federal court alleges that Coinbase violated the state's unfair competition laws by making a commission from the sale of Ripple's XRP. Ripple was recently sued by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for allegedly issuing XRP as an unregistered securities offering.

The new class-action suit was filed by Thomas Sandoval, who claims that Coinbase profited from the sale of XRP while knowing that it was a security. Coinbase should have known it would be considered a security, Sandoval argues, because it was aware all nodes were under Ripple's control.

The case alleges Coinbase broke California's unfair competition law by profiting on the sale of XRP while having sufficient knowledge to know the asset would be considered a security. The law protects against false advertising and fraudulent or deceptive business practices. 

Coinbase is among a number of exchanges that have said they will delist XRP in the wake of the SEC's suit against the asset's issuer.

Coinbase did not respond to requests for comment in time for publication. 

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