Hawk Tuah Meme Coin Disaster Spurs Legal Action, She Responds (UPDATE)

Haliey Welch of "Hawk Tuah" fame made her foray into the meme coin space earlier this month.

December 19, 2024

A woman with long blonde hair is wearing headphones and smiling in a recording studio.

Image via Getty/Michael Tullberg

UPDATED 12/20, 1:50 p.m. ET: Hailey Welch has responded to her cryptocurrency legal disaster.

"I take this situation extremely seriously and want to address my fans, the investors who have been affected, and the broader community," she tweeted on Friday.

"I am fully cooperating with and am committed to assisting the legal team representing the individuals impacted, as well as to help uncover the truth, hold the responsible parties accountable, and resolve this matter."

See original story below.

A noteworthy meme-turned-crypto controversy has now resulted in legal action.

As previously reported, Haliey Welch’s foray into the celebrity meme coin space earlier this month was pretty unanimously considered a disaster, with criticism continuing to grow in recent weeks.

At one point, investigative YouTube personality Coffeezilla got in on the criticism, referring to the meme coin as a “scam,” though he was also quick to point out that it wasn’t clear how involved Welch actually was aside from being the face of the launch.

Now, per a TMZ report citing newly filed court docs, it’s been revealed that investors are suing over the launch. OverHere Ltd., Tuah The Moon Foundation, Clinton So, and Alex Larson Schultz are reportedly named in the legal action.

In short, the argument appears to hinge on the Securities Act of 1933, which aims to require “full and fair disclosure” in the selling of securities. The act is also designed to "prevent frauds” in such sales.

The legal documents demand $150,000 in damages. Welch, notably, is not listed as a defendant. Complex has reached out to Welch’s reps for comment, and this story may be updated.

In a statement to Bloomberg, an OverHere spokesperson said they were “confident that we have done nothing wrong.”

Earlier this week, OverHere shared several X updates in which they conceded to having "trusted the wrong partners."

Meanwhile, Hawk Tuah the meme stands tall as one of Complex’s picks for the best of 2024. See the full list here.