Vitalik Buterin Named in Lawsuit Over Firing of Ethereum Staff Protest Organizer

TLDR

• Kayleen Fulton says the Ethereum Foundation fired her 13 days after she disclosed ovarian cancer.
• She wants a Colorado federal court to void an exit deal that requires arbitration in Singapore.
• Fulton says she rescinded the deal and returned the severance money.
• The lawsuit names Vitalik Buterin and cites a recorded quote about staff dissent.
• The case is linked to a staff protest over a “suicide pledge” in the foundation’s Mandate.

A former Ethereum Foundation team lead wants a federal court in Colorado to hear her wrongful termination case. She is asking the court to set aside a deal that would send the dispute to Singapore.

Kayleen Fulton filed her complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. It names the foundation, co-founder Vitalik Buterin and four other defendants.

Fulton says she was fired on April 6, just 13 days after telling senior management she had ovarian cancer. She also says she was targeted for leading a staff protest against a company document.

The Fight Over Where the Case Is Heard

After her firing, Fulton signed a separation agreement that waived her legal claims. She says she signed it because she was about to lose her health insurance.

The deal includes a clause requiring arbitration in Singapore. In May, lawyers for the foundation’s Singapore affiliate denied retaliation and pointed to that clause.

Fulton says she has since rescinded the agreement and returned the money. She is asking the court to declare the deal invalid.

The defendants include the foundation’s Swiss entity, Stiftung Ethereum, and its Singapore affiliate, Ethereum Asia Pacific Ltd. Co-Executive Director Bastian Aue and two human resources firms are also named.

The Mandate and the Staff Protest

The dispute traces back to a document called the Mandate, which the board sent to staff on Feb. 25. One provision, the “Source Seppuku License,” included a pledge to “take his or her own life with a sword” over any breach.

Seventy-nine employees voted to remove the provision. Buterin, a board member, told staff that changes were being considered.

The final version, published March 13, kept the language in a cartoon-style illustration. The foundation also recorded the document on the Ethereum blockchain, the complaint says.

Aue then told staff to commit to the Mandate in writing or be treated as having resigned. He also told staff the pledge was “not meant to be taken literally,” according to the filing.

Fulton disclosed her diagnosis on March 24. The next day, she and colleague Trent Van Epps sent a letter signed by 53 staff declining to affirm the Mandate under those terms.

Management later let dissenting employees keep their jobs. But the complaint says Aue fired Fulton and Van Epps about 30 minutes apart on April 6, without giving a reason.

The lawsuit cites a recorded conversation in which Buterin was asked about the firings. He allegedly said that “if you reward making a stink with outcomes,” staff would learn that public pressure gets results inside the foundation.

The complaint does not show that Buterin personally ordered her firing. None of the claims have been tested in court.

Fulton led the Protocol Support team and ran All Core Developers, the calls where engineers decide Ethereum upgrades. She earned a $195,000 salary and says she had a strong record with no prior discipline.

She brings 11 claims, including disability discrimination, medical leave violations and intentional infliction of emotional distress. She seeks back pay, damages and legal fees, but no total dollar amount.

The complaint says her team was dismantled and most of the 53 letter signers have left. The foundation, which holds over 160,000 Ether according to the filing, cut 20% of its staff in June.

Fulton filed a charge with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on June 2 and received a right-to-sue notice on Sept. 23. A separate unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board remained pending when the suit was filed.

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