Ex-Ethereum Staffer Sues Over Firing
Kayleen Fulton alleges she was dismissed for opposing a foundation mandate and after disclosing a cancer diagnosis.
Updated on Nov. 9, 2026 in Human Resources
Former Ethereum Foundation employee Kayleen Fulton filed a wrongful termination lawsuit on November 4, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado. She challenges her April 6, 2026 dismissal, alleging violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act.
Why it matters
The complaint links a workplace dispute over an internal mandate to claims of disability-based retaliation, a combination that could draw scrutiny to how organizations treat staff who raise objections. The case also tests how the foundation's leadership handles internal dissent during a period of major organizational change.
Fulton's complaint cites a $195,000 annual role salary and a separation offer equal to one year's pay, while a staff letter challenging mandate conditions drew 53 signatures. Whether the foundation accepts these figures or disputes the employment terms remains unaddressed in the available record.
The players
Kayleen Fulton
Former lead of the Ethereum Foundation's Protocol Support team who filed the wrongful termination suit.
Ethereum Foundation
The nonprofit organization that supports development of the Ethereum blockchain network and is named as a defendant.
Vitalik Buterin
Co-founder of Ethereum and a named defendant in the lawsuit, with whom Fulton recorded a conversation in Norway on May 1, 2026.
Bastian Aue
Executive at the Ethereum Foundation and a named defendant in the lawsuit.
The details
Fulton, who led the foundation's Protocol Support team, alleges she was pressured into signing a separation release, never received payment, and later revoked the release. She says she was fired for organizing opposition to the foundation's mandate conditions and that her termination was connected to her March 24, 2026 ovarian cancer disclosure. Ethereum Foundation management has said the mandate's seppuku language was not literal.
Timeline
February 25, 2026: Drafts of the mandate begin circulating among staff.
March 13, 2026: The EF Mandate is published.
March 24, 2026: Fulton discloses her ovarian cancer diagnosis.
April 6, 2026: Fulton is dismissed from the foundation.
November 4, 2026: Fulton files the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Colorado.
Human Resources Context
The complaint invokes the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act, the same federal statutes that govern disability-related retaliation claims across U.S. workplaces. Its outcome could shape how those protections are applied to decentralized, internationally structured organizations.
Employees who raise objections to internal policies or disclose medical conditions may have federal protections under the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Family and Medical Leave Act. Workers facing similar disputes should understand that these claims are decided through civil litigation, which can take considerable time.
The takeaway
Dismissals that follow internal dissent or medical disclosure are often contested in court, so documented timelines and written agreements carry significant weight. Employees should keep records of workplace communications and any separation terms offered to them.
Further reading
For more on the workplace rules behind cases like this, see Human Resources coverage.
