Former Ethereum Foundation Protocol Support Lead Sues Foundation, Vitalik Buterin and Four Others

Kayleen Fulton, the Ethereum Foundation’s former protocol support team lead, has sued the foundation and five other defendants over her dismissal. According to Foresight News, Fulton filed the civil lawsuit on November 4 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. The defendants are Stiftung Ethereum, the foundation’s Swiss-registered entity; its Singapore affiliate, Ethereum Asia Pacific Limited (EAPL); nominal employer Lightsource HR Global, LLC; Vensure Employer Services, Inc., which handled her payroll and benefits; former co-executive director Bastian Aue; and Ethereum co-founder and foundation director Vitalik Buterin. Fulton alleges that she disclosed her ovarian cancer diagnosis to management in writing on March 24. The following day, she and colleague Trent Van Epps organized a letter opposing the foundation’s requirement that employees commit by a deadline to support The Ethereum Foundation Mandate. The letter ultimately received 53 signatures. Aue said on March 27 that he accepted separate commitments made by the signatories, but on April 6 told the two organizers in separate calls, about 30 minutes apart, that they were being dismissed. Fulton says Aue praised her work during the call but did not give a specific reason for her dismissal. The complaint cites a recording of a May 1 conversation between Fulton and Buterin. In the recording, Buterin said that if employees found that making an issue public could affect outcomes, they might view that approach as a way to push the foundation to change its decisions. Fulton cites the remarks in support of her claim that her dismissal was retaliatory. She also alleges disability discrimination and interference with her right to medical leave. Fulton seeks compensation for lost wages and benefits, punitive damages, and a court ruling that her separation agreement does not prevent her from suing and that the case does not have to go to arbitration in Singapore. The complaint says EAPL previously denied wrongdoing and retaliation through its lawyers, and argued that the separation agreement and its arbitration clause are valid.