BitMEX Hit With Lawsuit Over ‘God Access’: Claims It Forced Customer Liquidations

Intel Brief: A new lawsuit alleges BitMEX used “God Access” — a claimed privileged insider capability — to trade against customers and force liquidations. The complaint names former BitMEX CEO Arthur Hayes and former CTO Samuel Reed as defendants.

The core allegation is that the exchange ran a fraudulent insider desk, effectively leveraging private information to harm users. If the claims gain traction, it could intensify the scrutiny around compliance, governance, and exchange transparency in crypto derivatives trading, raising the stakes for investor protection and legal accountability.

According to the lawsuit, the activity was allegedly carried out through an internal desk managed by Gregory Dwyer, Head of Business Development. The complaint argues that the team used privileged information to increase the likelihood of forced liquidations for users, describing the setup as a fraudulent scheme operating from an insider “desk.”

As the case moves forward, it may bring sharper legal and regulatory attention to how crypto exchanges manage conflicts of interest—especially in derivatives markets where transparent and fair execution is central to user trust.