A legal battle has erupted between Solana co-founder Stephen Akridge and his ex-wife Elisa Rossi, who claims he concealed millions of dollars in cryptocurrency staking rewards following their divorce.
In a lawsuit filed in California state court, Rossi alleges that Akridge withheld staking rewards earned from SOL tokens that she was entitled to receive as part of their divorce settlement in 2023. The couple was married for nearly a decade before separating.
While Akridge appeared to transfer the agreed-upon SOL tokens to Rossi, he allegedly retained control of the staking rewards - interest earned by locking up cryptocurrency to support blockchain operations. These withheld rewards are estimated to be worth millions of dollars.
According to court documents, Rossi, an Italian citizen now living in Rome, made multiple attempts between May and December 2023 to obtain her rightful staking rewards. When confronted, Akridge allegedly dismissed her claims, reportedly telling her "Good luck trying to get those staking rewards from me."
The dispute sheds light on how cryptocurrency assets can complicate divorce proceedings. It also offers rare insight into the finances of Akridge, who, while less known than fellow Solana co-founders Anatoly Yakovenko and Raj Gokal, played a key role in developing the blockchain platform.
Akridge left Solana Labs in early 2023 to launch Anza, a software development company focused on Solana projects, taking half of Solana Labs' team with him. He has since become CEO of cybersecurity firm Cyber Grant.
The case highlights growing challenges as blockchain technology becomes more prevalent in personal finance, pointing to the need for clearer regulations governing cryptocurrency assets in legal disputes.