YouTuber Logan Paul Files Defamation Lawsuit Against ‘Coffeezilla’ Over CryptoZoo Allegations
On Thursday, June 27, 2024, YouTuber Logan Paul filed a defamation lawsuit against Stephen Findeisen, also known as “Coffeezilla,” in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division.
In the complaint, Paul alleges that Findeisen, a self-described “investigative journalist” and “internet detective,” maliciously and repeatedly published false statements accusing Paul of operating a scam in connection with a blockchain project called CryptoZoo.
According to the lawsuit, Paul conceived of CryptoZoo in early 2021 as a blockchain-based game where players could purchase Egg Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) that would hatch into animal NFTs. Players could then breed these animals to create unique hybrid animals and earn an in-game cryptocurrency called “ZOO Tokens” based on their rarity.
To develop the project, Paul assembled a team of experts, including Eduardo “Eddie” Ibanez, who was responsible for overseeing the game’s development, and Jake Greenbaum, also known as “Crypto King,” a blockchain and crypto advisor.
However, the lawsuit alleges that Ibanez and Greenbaum turned out to be “conmen” who lied about their backgrounds and credentials. Ibanez continuously assured Paul that the game’s development was progressing, when in reality, he had failed to pay the development team, and the project never materialized as envisioned.
The lawsuit further claims that Ibanez and Greenbaum took advantage of the hype created by Paul’s affiliation with the project to secretly sell ZOO Tokens for millions of dollars, at the expense of those acquiring the tokens in anticipation of being able to play the game.
Despite Paul’s efforts to expose the wrongdoing of Ibanez and Greenbaum, the lawsuit alleges that Findeisen chose to focus his attention on accusing Paul of perpetrating a scam, as he believed that would generate more clicks, views, and revenue for his YouTube channel.
In December 2022, Findeisen released a three-part YouTube series titled “Investigating Logan Paul’s Biggest Scam,” which the lawsuit claims was viewed tens of millions of times. The series portrayed Paul as an “unserious social media influencer” who had used his fame to dupe his fans into investing in a fake crypto project, with the intention of absconding with the money.
However, the lawsuit alleges that Findeisen possessed overwhelming evidence, including contemporaneous internal text messages between Paul and his co-founders, showing that Paul had always intended to build a legitimate blockchain-based game and had never profited from the project. Despite this, Findeisen purposefully concealed this evidence from his viewers, instead presenting a narrative that fit his preferred, self-serving agenda.
The lawsuit states that although Paul considered taking legal action against Findeisen at the time the YouTube series was released, he decided to instead focus his efforts on trying to make things right with those who had shared his enthusiasm for CryptoZoo. In January 2023, Paul announced that he was working on a buyback program for disappointed CryptoZoo NFT holders.
Now, Paul is seeking to hold Findeisen accountable for his malicious and false statements, which the lawsuit claims were made to enhance Findeisen’s own profile and increase his viewership and income. The complaint demands a jury trial and seeks unspecified damages.
The case is currently pending in the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas, San Antonio Division, under case number 5:24-cv-717.
Please contact BlockTribune for access to a copy of this filing.
