On-chain investigator ZachXBT posted on the X platform that Circle has unfroze one of the 16 previously frozen wallets. This wallet, linked to Goated.com and located at address 0x61f...e543, currently holds 130,966 USDC. ZachXBT stated that more affected wallets are expected to be restored soon. Previously, Circle froze the USDC balances in 16 hot wallets linked to multiple unrelated companies. ZachXBT claimed the freeze was related to an undisclosed US civil case and criticized the case for being shelved without providing any legal basis for the freeze, calling it potentially the most unreasonable freeze he has seen in his five-year investigative career. MetaMask security researcher Taylor Monahan also criticized Circle on the X platform, stating that this is not the first time Circle has improperly frozen wallets and lacks accountability and recourse mechanisms. Circle has not yet made any public comment regarding the wallets involved or the legal basis for the freeze.