Evolution’s Anonymous Accuser to Be Named in Libel Case
A judge from the New Jersey Superior Court has mandated that the writers of a infamous anonymous report, which caused a $3 billion decline in the market value of gaming software giant Evolution AB, be revealed.
Evolution is taking legal action against the unidentified writers for defamation. The report claimed the company was supplying games to operators working in unregulated markets, including "prohibited terror states such as Iran, Syria, and Sudan."
A later inquiry by the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement (DGE) discovered “no evidence” backing the claims. An independent investigation by authorities in Pennsylvania arrived at the same finding. The allegation led to a sharp decline in the company's stock in November 2021.
Evolution is likewise suing Calcagni & Kanefsky (C&K), the New Jersey law firm that submitted the report to the DGE for its unnamed client.
‘Missing Truthfulness’
Until now, the unidentified party has been shielded by attorney-client privilege while the court tried to reconcile Calcagni & Kanefsky's duties to its client with the plaintiff’s right to obtain the information required for civil proceedings.
In April 2024, Judge John C. Porto ruled that additional efforts were required to ascertain the validity of the claims in the report before Evolution could identify precisely whom it was suing.
On Friday, Porto stated he was pleased that the report "lacks truthfulness," noting that Evolution was "entitled to all pertinent discovery required."
“The identity of the client is clearly necessary to enable the plaintiff to fully address its legal claims,” the judge concluded, in an order seen by Next.io.
This data has to be submitted to the court by March 7 and should list the investigative company that created the report and the organization that requested it.
Bet365 File Also Exists
In November 2021, the same New York PR firm reached out to two reporters from Casino.org individually. Alongside the Evolution document, the company also held a report aimed at similarly undermining Bet365 and its purported activities in China, which Casino.org has examined.
During a phone call, the firm's owner informed a reporter that the documents were commissioned by a gambling company based in the US, which aimed to "equalize the competition" in the online casino market in the US. He later refuted this to the second reporter weeks afterward.
The attempt to undermine Bet365 seemed to be dropped when the Evolution case erupted.
