Yuga Labs Seeks $400,000 in Crypto from Influencer Cahen

Yuga Labs, the creator of the popular Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT collection, has intensified its legal battle against crypto influencer Jeremy Cahen, also known as Pauly0x. The company has filed a turnover order in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California to seize nearly $400,000 in cryptocurrency assets from Cahen. The assets in question include Bitcoin, Ethereum, and PEPE coin spread across four digital wallets, valued at approximately $400,000 as of October last year.

This legal action is a continuation of a lawsuit filed by Yuga Labs in July 2022 against Cahen and artist Ryder Ripps. The lawsuit accused them of infringing on Yuga Labs’ trademark through the sale of the Ryder Ripps Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT collection. Ripps launched his copycat NFT project in May 2022, claiming it was a “parody” and protest, alleging that the original Bored Ape NFTs contained hidden Nazi and racist imagery. The court, however, ruled in favor of Yuga Labs in October 2023, initially awarding the company over $1.5 million in damages. By February 2024, this amount increased to nearly $9 million, including $7 million in attorneys’ fees and post-judgment interest.

The final judgment became enforceable by March 3, 2024. Since Cahen has not posted a bond or obtained a stay of enforcement, Yuga Labs has begun post-judgment asset recovery efforts. These efforts include subpoenaing Cahen’s accountant and serving levies on various financial institutions, including banks and crypto platforms. U.S. Marshals delivered these levies to institutions such as Bank of America, Chase, Wells Fargo, Robinhood, Coinbase, Binance, and Gemini.

Court records indicate that Cahen moved $396,946 in cryptocurrency to avoid a levy served to Gemini. This transfer happened just one day after the levy was issued, before Gemini could freeze his accounts. This timing suggests a deliberate effort to evade asset seizure. Gemini provided transaction records in response to a subpoena, showing that Cahen moved his crypto into two new wallets. Yuga Labs has accused Cahen of making “a mockery of this Court’s Final Judgement by refusing to pay any portion of the judgment or comply with any post-judgment discovery.”

Cahen maintains that he is not required to comply with discovery requests while his appeal is pending. However, he lacks a formal stay that would support this position. Beyond his dispute with Yuga Labs, Cahen faces additional legal troubles. In February 2025, Puerto Rican authorities confirmed that Cahen is wanted for aggravated assault and was placed on the top 10 most wanted list in San Juan. An active arrest warrant has been issued, with bail set at $75,000. Cahen has built a significant online presence on platforms like Instagram and X, branding himself “the most censored man on X” following the suspension of his account last year.

His current project, a decentralized exchange called Pond0X, has faced criticism and been labeled a scam by some. Before this, Cahen was involved with projects like Pork Coin, which also faced backlash due to allegations of misleading investors. The court has not yet ruled on Yuga Labs’ turnover motion.