Former BITMEX head, Alexander Hoptner, has filed a $3.4 million lawsuit against the crypto exchange, saying the employer violated a working agreement by abruptly terminating it.
According to a court filing, Hoptner accuses BitMEX of a "wholly wrongful decision" to break the agreement "without basis" as the exchange allegedly wanted to avoid paying out Hoptner millions of dollars in salary.
BitMEX conducted an internal investigation after Hoptner "dishonestly misappropriate some $230,000 of the Group's funds to fund his personal and unauthorized relocation from Hong Kong to Germany."
Kelvin Chia Partnership, Hoptner's legal representative, demands $3.4 million from BitMEX. The former BitMEX boss also wants $2.4 million as the exchange owed him "second-anniversary bonus."
Hoptner left BitMEX in October 2022. BitMEX's former Chief Financial Officer Stephan Lutz was appointed as interim CEO.
