Coinbase seeks public records from Oregon gov’t on crypto ‘flip-flop’

Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase has filed for injunctive relief in the US state of Oregon related to claims that its officials “flip-flopped on digital assets behind closed doors.”

In a case filed Thursday in the Marion County Circuit Court, Coinbase’s lawsuit named Oregon Governor Tina Kotek in her official capacity. The complaint reportedly challenged how the state government handled requests for documents related to digital asset enforcement actions. 

According to Coinbase, prior to April 2025, state officials had largely not considered digital assets to be regulated as securities. However, Oregon’s Attorney General’s office then filed a lawsuit against Coinbase, alleging the exchange offered more than 30 tokens as unregistered securities.

“Oregon Gov [Tina Kotek], [Attorney General Dan Rayfield] and other state officials flip flopped on digital assets behind closed doors, without hearings or agency rulemaking and public comment,” said Coinbase Chief Legal Officer Paul Grewal in a Friday X post. “And now they refuse the public records that show this. To right this wrong we are taking them to court.”

The complaint alleged Oregon officials violated state public record laws following requests from Coinbase, which reportedly included more than 80,000 emails that could take more than a year to produce. It’s unclear if the public records lawsuit could have any effect on the state’s crypto policies moving forward.

State-level lawsuit comes amid push for federal crypto legislation

Coinbase has earned a bit of a reputation in the industry for its Freedom of Information Act requests with the US government regarding crypto policies at the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The exchange has made similar requests with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) on claims that the US government ordered particular companies involved with digital assets to be debanked.

The advocacy organization tied to Coinbase, Stand With Crypto, is also pushing for US lawmakers to pass three crypto bills in the coming weeks. The legislation, related to central bank digital currencies, payment stablecoins and market structure, could impact how the exchange does business in the US.