Crypto billionaire Justin Sun has filed a lawsuit against World Liberty Financial, accusing the firm of illegally freezing his digital token holdings and restricting his ability to sell assets worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
The legal action, filed in a U.S. federal court in California, alleges that World Liberty secretly implemented technical controls within its blockchain contracts to prevent Sun from trading his tokens after they became available in September 2025. The lawsuit further claims the company threatened to “burn,” or permanently delete, his holdings despite them being stored in his personal digital wallet.
Sun, founder of the TRON network, reportedly invested $45 million in World Liberty’s WLFI tokens, acquiring approximately 3 billion tokens, and later received an additional 1 billion tokens after being named as an advisor. His total holdings—estimated at 4 billion tokens—are valued at roughly $320 million based on current pricing.
World Liberty Financial, co-founded by Donald Trump and members of his family, has rejected the allegations. Chief executive Zach Witkoff described Sun’s claims as “entirely meritless,” stating the company acted to protect its platform and users. Eric Trump also dismissed the lawsuit publicly, criticizing Sun’s actions and referencing his high-profile art purchase of Comedian.
The dispute highlights escalating tensions between Sun and the company, following months of public disagreements. Sun previously alleged that World Liberty embedded a “backdoor blacklisting function” in its token contracts, giving it unilateral authority to freeze or restrict user assets without due process.
World Liberty has denied these claims, maintaining that it possesses evidence to defend its actions in court. The company has also disputed Sun’s role, stating he has never held an operational or advisory position within the organization.
The lawsuit comes amid increasing scrutiny of World Liberty’s governance structure and transparency. Critics, including some investors, have raised concerns about centralized control, lack of responsiveness, and the firm’s revenue model, which reportedly allocates a significant portion of token sale proceeds to the Trump family.
Sun’s filing also alleges he was pressured by company representatives to expand his investment, including committing up to $200 million into a separate stablecoin project and acquiring equity stakes. He claims efforts to resolve the dispute privately were unsuccessful, with the company refusing to restore access to his frozen tokens.
Complicating matters further, a recent governance proposal by World Liberty could restrict early investors from fully trading their holdings until 2030, a move Sun strongly opposes. He also claims he has been unable to vote on the proposal due to the freeze on his assets.
Despite the legal clash, the lawsuit notes that Sun has previously expressed strong support for Trump and his family, underscoring a dramatic breakdown in what was once a close business relationship.
The case adds to ongoing regulatory and legal challenges surrounding the crypto industry. In 2023, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission filed a lawsuit against Sun over alleged fraud and unregistered securities sales, which was settled in 2026 for $10 million without admission of wrongdoing.
As the dispute unfolds, it raises broader questions about investor protections, governance transparency, and the balance of power within rapidly evolving blockchain-based financial platforms.