Binance CEO CZ Is Suing VC Giant Sequoia for Reputational Damages

Binance founder and CEO Changpeng Zhao is taking a unit of Sequoia Capital back to court after the VC investor's case against him was dismissed.

The crypto exchange mogul, nicknamed CZ, claims Sequoia Capital China hurt his reputation and prevented him from raising money at favorable valuations and wants the VC giant to compensate him.

A hearing for the case, HCMP 2770/2017, will take place on June 25, according to information available on the court's website, between Zhao and SCC Venture VI, a company incorporated as a special purpose vehicle of Sequoia Capital China.

The application demands an inquiry be held to determine if Zhao "Has sustained any and what damages" resulting from the injunction order Sequoia obtained on Dec. 27, 2017, which prevented Zhao from raising capital from other investors until March 1, 2018.

If it's decided that "Any such damage has been sustained," Zhao asks that Sequoia pay him the amount determined at the inquiry.

Sequoia Capital China has not responded to CoinDesk's request for comment as of press time.

Zhao's punch-back follows a December 2018 decision by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre, which dismissed all of Sequoia Capital's claims that Zhao had breached an exclusivity agreement when negotiating Binance's Series A equity financing.

The case began when Sequoia Capital obtained the December 2017 injunction order in an ex parte or unilateral procedure without notifying Zhao and subsequently filed a notice for arbitration in January 2018 as a claimant against him.

Sequoia accused Zhao of breaching exclusivity by talking to IDG Capital when still in discussions with Sequoia for the Series A round.

Three months later, following an April 11 hearing, a Deputy High Court Judge ruled in a judgment on April 24 that Sequoia "Was wrong to pursue the ex parte application without notice to Zhao," since there was no explanation or evidence as to why no efforts were made to involve both parties.