Former employee Kayleen Fulton’s Ethereum Foundation lawsuit, filed on November 4, 2026, alleges she was unlawfully fired after organizing opposition to an internal mandate and disclosing a cancer diagnosis. Named as defendants in the complaint are the foundation itself, its Singapore-based affiliate, executive Bastian Aue, and Ethereum co-founder Vitalik Buterin.
Key takeaways
Fulton alleges wrongful termination, disability discrimination and interference with medical-leave rights.
The complaint acknowledges management said the mandate’s seppuku language was not literal.
A staff letter challenging mandate conditions collected 53 signatures.
Ethereum Foundation lawsuit challenges dismissal
Fulton filed her complaint in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado , challenging her dismissal on April 6, 2026. Known as “Nixo,” she previously led the foundation’s Protocol Support team and earned $195,000 in the role.
The filing alleges violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act . Fulton says she disclosed an ovarian cancer diagnosis on March 24, 2026, and alleges disability discrimination and interference with her medical-leave rights .
Mandate’s seppuku language and management’s clarification
The dispute centers on the “Source Seppuku License” section of the EF Mandate, which invoked suicide for failing to uphold a promise to Ethereum . The complaint also acknowledges that management explicitly rejected a literal interpretation.
Drafts of the mandate began circulating among staff on February 25, 2026, before publication on March 13, 2026. The document set out the foundation’s updated mission and its role in supporting Ethereum’s CROPS principles : censorship resistance, open source, privacy and security.
The disputed pledge said employees would “take his or her own life with a sword” for failing to “uphold its solemn promise to Ethereum.” According to the complaint, staff faced a choice between affirming the mandate’s direction and leaving.
The filing acknowledges that Aue described the seppuku reference as “not meant to be taken literally” and later said the commitment had “nothing to do with literal seppuku.”
Staff opposition and alleged retaliation
Fulton alleges that organizing opposition to the mandate’s conditions led to her termination. She and colleague Trent Van Epps coordinated a letter supporting the foundation’s direction while challenging some of its requirements.
The letter gathered 53 signatures and stated that the signatories had not resigned. The complaint alleges that Fulton and Van Epps were unlawfully dismissed because of their pushback; Fulton also connects her firing to her medical disclosure.
Buterin recording and disputed separation agreement
The Ethereum Foundation lawsuit quotes a conversation with Buterin that Fulton partially recorded in Norway on May 1, 2026. It also challenges a separation agreement offering her one year’s salary .
The complaint quotes Buterin as saying that “if you reward making a stink with outcomes,” employees could use that approach to influence the foundation.
According to Fulton, she was pressured into signing the separation release, never received any payment, and later revoked it, and she is now seeking damages along with compensation for lost pay.
Article produced with the assistance of artificial intelligence and reviewed by the editorial team.
