COLUMN-Epstein files upend lawsuit over stock options by longevity expert Peter Attia

By Jenna Greene

March 20(Reuters) - Fallout from the Epstein files has surfaced in an unexpected forum: a dispute over stock options brought by longevity expert Peter Attia.

Attia initially sued San Francisco-based Oura Ring and its Finnish parent in 2023, claiming the start-up had reneged on its promise to grant him equity.

In counterclaims recently filed in a California federal court, Oura alleges the physician and writer failed to disclose his “deep, multidimensional” relationship with Jeffrey Epstein from 2015 to 2019 — a period overlapping with Attia’s role as an Oura advisor, investor and brand ambassador.

Oura says it never would have allowed Attia to become involved with the company had it been aware of his ties to the late convicted sex offender. Now, it's asking the court to rescind his stock option agreement worth between $25 million and $31 million.

The move marks a sharp turn in a lawsuit that had once centered on corporate governance and choice-of-law disputes, recasting the fight as a referendum on whether undisclosed personal relationships can invalidate a multimillion‑dollar equity deal.

Oura, which was founded in 2013, makes a smart ring that tracks health data such as heart rate, sleep stages and physical activity. In its latest round of funding, the company was valued at nearly $11 billion.

Attia's name appears more than 1,700 times in the trove of 3 million documents released as part of the Epstein files by the U.S. Department of Justice on January 30.

Lawyers for Attia at Coblentz Patch Duffy & Bass did not respond to a request for comment.

In a post on X last month, Attia denied he was involved in criminal activity in connection with Epstein, who was convicted in ⁠2008 of soliciting prostitution from a minor. But he apologized and said he was "ashamed" by the emails, which he called “embarrassing, tasteless, and indefensible.”

In one 2015 note to Epstein, Attia wrote, "The biggest problem with becoming friends with you? The life you lead is so outrageous, and yet I can't tell a soul..."

Epstein died in jail in 2019 while facing federal sex-trafficking charges in what the medical examiner ruled was a suicide.

I wrote about Oura’s stock option fights last year, when Attia — as well as former NFL quarterback Drew Brees and a Canadian marketing consultant — brought separate suits against the company, claiming it reneged on promised equity.

More recently, Oura’s former chief executive, Harpreet Singh Rai, also sued over allegedly unpaid stock options. Rai’s suit, filed in November, remains pending in San Francisco federal court. Counsel for Rai declined comment.

Brees last year was ordered to arbitrate his claim in Helsinki, and the marketing expert had his case dismissed for lack of jurisdiction.

Attia, however, had been racking up wins. In 2024, he defeated a bid by Oura to compel arbitration. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the decision in 2025.

In his breach of contract lawsuit, Attia said he struck a deal in 2017 to aid Oura with developing, testing, marketing and promoting its ring. He said he later signed an agreement entitling him to 20,000 shares that would vest over a three-year period, trusting assurances from then-CEO Rai that the board had approved the arrangement.

But when Attia tried to exercise the options in 2022, the company’s general counsel allegedly told him that Oura would not honor the contract.

In court papers, Oura said its board of directors never authorized the options grant, and that under Finnish law, such approval is necessary for the issuance to be valid.

The Epstein revelations have allowed Oura to dramatically reframe its litigation posture.

In six counterclaims against Attia, the company alleges causes of action including fraudulent concealment, negligent misrepresentation and unjust enrichment.

“Plaintiff’s representations about his sterling reputation — and its associated value — were demonstrably false,” lawyers for Oura at Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan wrote, claiming consumers have recently discussed boycotting Oura because of its association with Attia and Epstein.

The company is seeking compensatory and punitive damages and legal fees, in addition to the cancellation of Attia’s stock-option agreement.

An Oura spokesperson said Epstein’s crimes “caused devastating harm to women and girls, and anyone who maintained a relationship with him, especially after those crimes became public, has serious questions to answer.”