Art broker Sotheby’s has been named in the Bored Ape investors case against NFT company Yuga Labs,
which said the new allegations are without merit and “opportunistic.“
Fine arts auction house Sotheby’s has recently been named in the class-action lawsuit filed by
Bored Ape Yacht Club (BAYC) investors against BAYC creators Yuga Labs. The investors allege
that the auction house helped Yuga Labs “deceptively promote” the nonfungible token (NFT) collection.
On Dec. 10, 2022, BAYC investors filed a class-action lawsuit against over 40 defendants,
including Yuga Labs and celebrities like Post Malone, Justin Beiber and Paris Hilton.
The lawsuit alleged that Yuga Labs and the celebrities were able to “artificially increase”
the prices of the NFTs through celebrity promotions.
In a new development, Sotheby’s has been named in an amendment to the lawsuit.
On Sept. 10, 2021, Sotheby’s auctioned 101 BAYC NFTs, which generated over $24 million in sales.
According to the plaintiffs, the broker’s 2021 NFT auction allegedly helped make Yuga Labs look
legitimate and misled investors.
However, the auction house reportedly said in a statement to mainstream media outlet CNN
that the allegations are “baseless.” Sotheby’s also added that it is prepared to “vigorously defend” itself.
In the same report, Yuga Labs also echoed Sotheby’s sentiments. According to the BAYC creators,
the new allegations are “without merit or factual basis.“ The company also described the complaint as “opportunistic.“
Meanwhile, another lawsuit involving Yuga Labs was settled earlier in 2023.
On Feb. 7, the NFT company settled a lawsuit against a developer involved in the selling
of a copycat NFT collection called RR/BAYC. Yuga Labs and the developer Thomas Lehman
agreed on a permanent injunction prohibiting the latter from using any similar BAYC imagery or
operating social media pages that insinuate any association with Yuga Labs.