Max Burwick, Managing Partner at BurwickLaw and the attorney leading class-action litigation against Solana-based meme coin platforms, revealed Thursday he has received credible threats of sexual violence and murder aimed at his firm.
The announcement comes less than 24 hours after a significant procedural update in the case. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon ruled to admit new evidence, including 5,000 pages of internal chat logs provided by a confidential informant, in the firm’s racketeering (RICO) case against Pump.fun.
Burwick posted the statement on X (formerly Twitter). While he did not attribute the threats to specific individuals, he characterized the hostility as an attempt to intimidate his firm from continuing its work.
“I am being threatened with rape and murder for representing my clients,” Burwick wrote. “We are documenting each of these threats and will address them through the appropriate legal channels.”
Legal Backdrop
Burwick Law dedicates the majority of its practice to cryptocurrency litigation, a specialization that frequently positions the firm against decentralized protocols and token issuers. This focus has made them a central player in the industry’s most contentious regulatory battles, but the current case represents a new peak in tension.
The timing of the threats coincides with a critical week for the litigation. The admission of the chat logs is a pivotal development in the lawsuit, which alleges the platform operates as an unregistered securities exchange.
The recent addition of RICO charges creates a scenario where the defendants could face triple damages if found liable.
Despite the heightened tensions, Burwick emphasized that the firm intends to proceed. “Threats of violence will not stop us from fulfilling our ethical duties as attorneys or from continuing our work to bring accountability,” he said.
A History of Friction
This incident is the latest in a series of conflicts between Burwick and segments of the decentralized trading community throughout 2025. Since filing the initial complaint in January, the attorney has faced significant online backlash.
In February, he reported that anonymous users created memecoins named after his family members and circulated their home addresses, a practice known as “doxxing.” At the time, Burwick filed police reports describing the behavior as “crossing the line from trolling to criminal harassment.”
Chain Street’s Take
The crypto industry often demands to be taken seriously by Wall Street, but incidents like this prove it is not yet ready for the adults’ table. Whether one agrees with Burwick’s legal theories is irrelevant; the resort to mob violence and death threats signals that the “memecoin supercycle” has a toxic underbelly.
Real markets fight in court filings, not via anonymous threats on X. As long as “accountability” is met with vitriol, regulators have all the ammunition they need to drop the hammer.
