Social media influencer Logan Paul has followed through on his long-standing threat to sue Coffezilla, accusing the popular YouTuber of making “malicious and repeated” false statements about Paul’s involvement in the failed blockchain game CryptoZoo.
In a complaint filed late Thursday in San Antonio federal court, Paul claims that Coffezilla, whose real name is Stephen Findeisen, a self-proclaimed “internet detective,” has made defamatory public statements regarding Paul’s participation in CryptoZoo, knowing them to be untrue.
The 47-page lawsuit states, “Findeisen has perpetuated this false narrative despite knowing it to be entirely false, for the purpose of enhancing his own image, increasing viewership, and generating income.”
The complaint alleges that Findeisen possesses and has selectively withheld a trove of text messages between Paul and the developers of CryptoZoo, which show Paul’s genuine goodwill and concern about the game’s failure to fulfill its money-making promises, resulting in losses of hundreds of thousands of dollars for players.
Findeisen “intentionally concealed all of this information from the audience, presenting only selected information manipulated and presented out of context,” the lawsuit states.
The intensity of language may not be accidental. Intent is a key factor in defamation lawsuits involving public figures like Paul. Legal experts previously told Decrypt that Paul’s attorneys may have to prove that Findeisen’s actions were performed with “actual malice” and that his videos and tweets accusing Paul of dereliction in launching CryptoZoo demonstrated “reckless disregard for the truth.”
Paul’s previous endorsements of Findeisen’s statements about CryptoZoo could complicate matters. For instance, Paul agreed with Findeisen’s characterization of one of CryptoZoo’s creators, Eddie Ibanez, as a “professional scammer.” In Thursday’s lawsuit, Paul’s lawyers referred to Ibanez as a “charlatan.”
In early 2023, Paul initially threatened to sue Findeisen for defamation, only to abruptly back down a few days later.
“The war has nothing to do with coffee,” Paul said of Findeisen at the time. “I’ll take responsibility, apologize, and present a plan in the near future.”
In yesterday’s lawsuit, Paul’s attorneys explained that Findeisen continued to release videos and tweets in 2023 and this year, accusing Paul of misconduct in the creation and launch of CryptoZoo, prompting his latest turn to litigation.
Findeisen has not publicly commented on the lawsuit, although his tweets and YouTube videos, which are the subject of the defamation claims against him by Paul, remain online. Decrypt reached out to the content creator but did not immediately receive a response.
Paul is seeking unspecified damages in excess of $75,000 from Findeisen.
Edited by Andrew Hayward.