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Binance hires celebrity lawyer who led to the downfall of Gawker Media | Invezz

source-logo  invezz.com 19 November 2020 09:32, UTC

Renowned crypto trading platform Binance has hired Charles Harder, a celebrity attorney that has extensive Hollywood and political connections. A report unveiled this news on November 19, noting that the exchange acquired Harder’s services to help fight Forbes. Reportedly, Binance claims that Forbes published a defamatory article that saw it lose millions of dollars.

According to Binance, Forbes published an article dubbed Leaked ‘Tai Chi’ Document Reveals Binance’s Elaborate Scheme To Evade Bitcoin Regulators. Per Forbes, the document detailed an elaborate plan to funnel revenue from a US agency back to Binance, while shielding the exchange against US enforcement. Binance asserted that Forbes’ article contained multiple false, misleading, and slanderous statements against it.

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The exchange went on to note that it had not created the aforementioned Tai Chi document, and that it had never implemented the scheme described in it. Binance also sued Michael del Castillo and Jason Brett, two Forbes journalists that were behind the article.

Acquiring Harder’s services shows that Binance is serious about the lawsuit regardless of the arising questions about its merits. However, the lawyer is appearing only once in this case and is not likely to represent Binance in other lawsuits.

Representing the renowned political and showbiz figures

Per the report, Harder is renowned for helping Hulk Hogan (Terry Gene Bollea) win a case against Gawker Media in 2016. Harder reportedly procured £86.96 million in compensatory damages. On top of this, he secured an additional £18.1 million in punitive damages for Bollea after Gawker Media posted parts of a sex tape on its website.

Reportedly, Peter Thiel, the founder of Palantir and PayPal’s co-founder, helped fund the lawsuit after Gawker published a post mentioning Thiel’s sexual orientation. Under the auspices of the provided funds, Harder’s prosecution resulted in Gawker Media’s downfall soon afterward.

Apart from conquering Gawker Media, Harder has also offered his service to multiple members of the Trump family, including Donald J. Trump. Trump’s case involved a sexual charge against him, which was filed by Stephanie Clifford, also known as Stormy Daniels. In this lawsuit, Harder emerged victorious in an anti-SLAPP motion.

Harder also represented Melania Trump in a lawsuit against the UK’s Daily Mail, which published a tabloid claiming she had provided services beyond simply modeling. In this case, Harder managed to get £2.19 million and an apology on behalf of Melania.

Apart from this, Harder represented Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law in a case against Vanity Fair, a renowned magazine.

invezz.com