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Former Ethereum Foundation employee Kayleen Fulton has sued the organization and co-founder Vitalik Buterin, alleging disability discrimination and retaliation following her dismissal.
Fulton filed the lawsuit on November 4 in the U.S. District Court for Colorado. She claims the foundation fired her 13 days after she disclosed an ovarian cancer diagnosis and shortly after she challenged an internal staff directive.
The court complaint names six defendants, including executive Bastian Aue, two foundation entities, and two human resources companies.
Fulton, known as Nixo, previously led the Ethereum Foundation's Protocol Support team. She also coordinated All Core Developers meetings, where developers discuss changes to Ethereum's network.
According to the complaint, Fulton informed management about her cancer diagnosis on March 24. She requested that the organization maintain her employment while she underwent treatment. However, she alleges management failed to address her request.
On April 6, Aue dismissed Fulton and colleague Trent Van Epps approximately 30 minutes apart. Both had helped organize a staff letter challenging the foundation's new mandate.
The complaint alleges that Aue offered no explanation for the dismissals. Fulton also claims her previous performance reviews were positive and that she had faced no disciplinary action.
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The dispute began after the foundation introduced its updated mandate in February. The document outlined organizational principles covering censorship resistance, open-source development, privacy, and security.
However, employees objected to a section called the "Source Seppuku License." The wording referred to ritual suicide as part of a pledge concerning Ethereum's principles.
The complaint states that 79 employees voted to remove the passage. Aue subsequently clarified that the language was "not meant to be taken literally."
On March 25, Fulton and Van Epps organized a letter signed by 53 employees. The signatories supported the mandate's broader direction but opposed requiring staff to endorse it to retain employment.
The lawsuit also cites a recorded May 1 conversation involving Buterin. According to Fulton, Buterin discussed "what kind of dynamics you want to reward inside of the EF."
Fulton alleges Buterin supported the directive and accepted the subsequent dismissals. However, the complaint does not establish that he personally ordered her termination.
Following her dismissal, Fulton signed a separation agreement containing a Singapore arbitration clause. She alleges she signed under pressure because she faced losing employment income and health insurance.
The complaint states that she later withdrew her consent and returned severance payments. She now wants the Colorado court to declare the agreement unenforceable.
However, Ethereum Asia Pacific Limited rejected her position in a May 14 legal letter. Its lawyers denied unlawful conduct and maintained that the separation agreement remained binding.
Fulton seeks lost wages, compensation, legal expenses and other damages. Her claims include alleged violations of federal disability protections, medical leave rights and Colorado employment law.
The court has not determined whether the defendants violated employment laws or whether the arbitration agreement can prevent the case from proceeding in Colorado.