ESS Frontier LLC filed a lawsuit on September 4, 2026, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York against Ostium Foundation, Ostium Labs Co., Deltax LTD., DX Group Limited, Ostium co-founder and CEO Kaledora Kiernan-Linn, and John Doe Transferees 1-10. According to ChainCatcher, the case concerns an arbitration matter under 09 U.S.C. § 206, seeking an order to compel arbitration and appoint an arbitrator.

The plaintiff also submitted a complaint, an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order, a motion to seal limited materials, and related declarations. Public reports said the dispute involves about $15 million in crypto loans, and ESS Frontier LLC is suing as the assignee of claims from Hong Kong lender Minghui Zheng. On September 14, the plaintiff filed a first amended complaint and added Minghui Zheng as a co-plaintiff. The court is scheduled to hold a hearing on September 17.