Court Lets Arbitrum DAO Transfer $71M in ETH Tied to North Korea Hack to Aave
The decision came after Arbitrum delegates showed strong support for the move through an off-chain Snapshot vote as part of Aave‘s broader recovery plan following last month’s North Korea-linked rsETH exploit. Any actual transfer still requires a separate binding onchain governance vote. Aave asks court to lift freeze on funds Last week, Aave filed an emergency motion in a New York court seeking to vacate a restraining notice that had blocked Arbitrum DAO from transferring the funds to victims of the Kelp DAO exploit. The notice was served by Gerstein Harrow LLP, which represents families holding $877 million in unpaid terrorism judgments against North Korea and claims the funds belong to its clients because North Korean hackers stole them during the April 18 hack. Aave pushed back hard, arguing that a thief doesnt gain lawful ownership of stolen property and that attributing the hack to North Korea relies on little more than internet speculation. It also warned that if the court upholds the restraining notice, it could deter future DeFi recovery efforts and give bad actors a roadmap to exploit legal uncertainty following hacks. Gerstein Harrow has previously pursued similar claims. In January, they sued Railgun DAO, alleging the privacy protocol was used to