FTX’s bankruptcy estate filed separate recovery lawsuits in November 2024 involving Anthony Scaramucci and SkyBridge, and the advocacy group FWD.us. The Scaramucci/SkyBridge complaint alleges that three transactions totaling $67 million involved estate funds and seeks more than $100 million; that demand is not a judgment. FWD.us was named in a different action, not in the Scaramucci complaint.
Two lawsuits, not one complaint against everyone
TechCrunch reported that FTX filed 23 lawsuits on November 8, 2024, as part of efforts to recover funds for creditors. The headline names parties from two separate actions. The complaint filed November 8 by FTX Trading Ltd., Island Bay Ventures Inc., and Clifton Bay Investments LLC names SkyBridge entities, SALT Venture Group LLC, Anthony Scaramucci, and Brett Messing. It does not name FWD.us. TechCrunch’s contemporaneous report describes a separate suit against FWD.us.
The TechCrunch report says the FWD.us action alleged that Alameda Research payments to the organization were part of an integrated plan to divert value from creditors and improve insiders’ reputations. It does not establish the amounts or legal claims in that case. TechCrunch reported that FWD.us did not immediately respond to its request for comment. The reviewed sources do not establish the later procedural status or outcome of either action.
What the Scaramucci/SkyBridge complaint says the estate paid
The complaint identifies three 2022 transactions. These are amounts alleged in a 2024 pleading, not findings that a court has made about liability.
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| Transaction | Amount and terms alleged |
|---|---|
| FTX sponsorship of SALT events and podcast episodes | $12 million under a sponsorship agreement between FTX and SALT Venture Group LLC. |
| Investment in the SkyBridge Coin Fund | $10 million invested by Alameda Research Ventures. |
| Purchase of SkyBridge interests | $45 million paid by Island Bay for 30% membership interests in SkyBridge Capital II and SkyBridge GP. |
The plaintiffs said they sought to recover more than $100 million overall. That is the requested recovery in the complaint, not an amount awarded by a court. The complaint argues that the transactions used commingled and misappropriated debtor funds for investments that gave little or no benefit to FTX debtors, while enhancing Sam Bankman-Fried’s standing in political and traditional-finance circles. It calls the spending a “campaign of influence-buying.” Those characterizations are the estate’s allegations.
Legal theories and alleged conduct
The complaint pleads claims under federal bankruptcy and Delaware law, including avoidance and recovery of transfers and obligations, unjust enrichment, breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duties, aiding and abetting breach of fiduciary duties, and disallowance of claims.
Among its specific allegations, the estate says Scaramucci and Messing violated contractual restrictions on sales of crypto holdings and breached duties connected to Island Bay’s minority investment. The complaint states: “These ‘investments’ conveyed little to no benefit to Debtors, and instead served only to prop up Bankman-Fried’s standing in the worlds of politics and traditional finance.” This is the plaintiffs’ position in a lawsuit, not a court’s conclusion.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What is—and is not—established about the cases
A bankruptcy clawback lawsuit is an attempt by an estate to recover transfers or obligations for the benefit of creditors. Filing a complaint sets out the plaintiff’s claims; it does not itself prove them or determine the defendants’ liability. The complaint’s requested recovery should therefore be distinguished from any eventual settlement or judgment.
The available reporting and complaint establish what the estate alleged when it filed in November 2024, and TechCrunch’s report supplies the broader context of FTX’s 23 lawsuits and the separate FWD.us action. They do not establish the current status or outcome of either proceeding. No later status should be inferred from the filing alone.
Sources: November 8, 2024 complaint (Doc. 27829); TechCrunch, November 9, 2024.
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