Former Ethereum Foundation employee sues the Foundation and Vitalik Buterin

Former Ethereum Foundation protocol support lead Kayleen Fulton sued the Foundation's affiliated entities, co-executive director Bastian Aue, and co-founder Vitalik Buterin in Colorado federal court on November 4, alleging disability discrimination, retaliation, and interference with family medical leave rights. According to the complaint, Fulton disclosed a cancer diagnosis in writing to Foundation leadership on March 24; the next day she helped organize a petition signed by 53 employees opposing a required internal document that included a suicide pledge, and on April 6 she and another organizer were fired. The claims are the plaintiff's allegations and have not been adjudicated. The case matters because it puts the governance and employment practices of Ethereum's flagship nonprofit under court scrutiny and pairs a high-profile discrimination claim with the names of its most visible leaders. What to watch next is the Foundation's formal response and any motion to dismiss, plus whether the dispute draws public comment from Buterin or prompts internal policy changes.