Pump.fun Faces Renewed Legal Scrutiny as Court Accepts New MEV Evidence
What Changed in the Pump.fun Lawsuit?
A US federal court has granted permission to amend and refile a class-action lawsuit tied to the memecoin launch platform Pump.fun, reopening judicial scrutiny of maximal extractable value (MEV) practices on Solana. The decision allows plaintiffs to introduce a new body of evidence that was not available when the case was first filed in July.
The amended filing adds more than 5,000 internal chat logs submitted in September by what the motion describes as a “confidential informant.” The plaintiffs argue that the logs shed new light on coordination between Pump.fun, Solana Labs, Jito Labs, and other parties involved in the Solana ecosystem.
“Plaintiffs assert that the logs contain contemporaneous discussions among Pump.fun, Solana Labs, Jito Labs, and others concerning the alleged scheme, and that they materially clarify the enterprise’s management, coordination, and communications,” the filing states.
The judge granted the motion to amend, allowing the case to proceed with the expanded evidentiary record. None of the defendants responded publicly to requests for comment by the time of publication.
Investor Takeaway
What Are the Allegations Around MEV and Memecoins?
The lawsuit alleges that Pump.fun marketed its memecoin launches as “fair” while quietly enabling insiders to gain ahead access to newly issued tokens. According to the complaint, this advantage came through MEV practices coordinated with Solana Block confirmers and infrastructure providers.
MEV refers to the practice of reordering or inserting transactions within a block to capture profit, often through arbitrage or priority access. While MEV is widely discussed as a technical reality of blockchain systems, its use in retail-facing products remains controversial.
Plaintiffs claim that insiders were able to acquire tokens at low prices before public launches, then trade into retail demand once . Retail participants, the filing argues, became exit liquidity for better-positioned actors who benefited from transaction ordering and Block confirmer relationships.
The defendants named in the case include Pump.fun, Jito Labs — a major Solana MEV infrastructure provider — and the Solana Foundation, the nonprofit that supports development of the Solana network. The amended complaint viewks to tie these parties together through the newly submitted communications.
Why Does This Case Matter for MEV in the US?
The lawsuit arrives as US courts and regulators continue to struggle with how to classify and assess MEV activity. Within crypto-native circles, MEV is often described as unavoidable or even neutral, while critics argue it can blur into front-running when retail users are involved.
A ruling that recognizes certain MEV practices as deceptive or unlawful would have implications beyond memecoins. Many rely on similar transaction-ordering mechanics, and infrastructure providers operate across multiple chains.
Legal clarity has been sluggish to emerge, in part because MEV sits at the intersection of market microstructure, software design, and financial regulation. Courts must assess intent, disclosure, and harm in systems where outcomes are shaped by code rather than explicit human action.
Investor Takeaway
How Does This Compare to Other MEV Legal Cases?
The Pump.fun that ended without reanswer. In November, brothers Anton and James Peraire-Bueno stood trial in the US later than being accused of using an to generate millions of dollars in profit.
Prosecutors argued that the brothers deceived victims, while defense attorneys maintained that the strategy amounted to lawful trading behavior. Jurors repeatedly asked for clarification on blockchain mechanics during deliberations, underscoring how hard it can be to translate technical systems into legal standards.
The trial ended in a mistrial later than the jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict. The outcome highlighted the challenge courts face when dealing with complex transaction ordering, Block confirmer behavior, and automated execution.
Unlike the bot case, the Pump.fun lawsuit is civil rather than criminal, lowering the burden of proof and focusing on disclosure, coordination, and alleged harm to retail users. The newly admitted evidence may play a key role in determining whether the claims survive further legal challenges.
What Happens Next?
With the amended complaint accepted, defendants are expected to respond to the expanded allegations. The court will then determine whether the case proceeds to discovery or faces renewed motions to dismiss.
For now, the ruling keeps MEV practices firmly in the legal spotlight. As memecoin platforms and continue to serve large retail audiences, courts may increasingly be asked to decide where technical optimization ends and market abuse begins.
