DEF & Partners File Amicus Brief in Support of Michael Lewellen's Opposition to the DOJ’s Motion to Dismiss

On July 7, 2025, DEF, Paradigm, Bitcoin Policy Institute, Blockchain Association, Crypto Council for Innovation, Digital Chamber of Commerce, Solana Policy Institute, and the Uniswap Foundation, filed an amicus brief in Michael Lewellen v. Pamela Bondi in support of Lewellen’s opposition to the DOJ’s motion to dismiss. 

As a quick refresher, in Jan. 2025, Michael Lewellen filed a preemptive lawsuit against the DOJ for capriciously prosecuting noncustodial software developers as money transmitters under 18 U.S.C. §1960, a federal statute which proscribes failing to register as a “money transmitting business.”

The key issue being contemplated in this case is whether Lewellen, in his plan to publish a DeFi protocol, engages in an unlawful activity under 18 U.S.C. §1960(b) for failing to comply with the requirements for registering as a money transmitting business under BSA regulations.

Our brief makes the following arguments:

You can access the amicus brief and dig further into our reasoning at the link below:

Link to Amicus Brief