Ripple CEO Brad Garlinghouse and Chief Legal Officer Stuart Alderoty have strongly criticized the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) decision to appeal the court's ruling in the agency's lawsuit against Ripple. The executives argue that the SEC's appeal is a waste of taxpayer money and that the status of XRP as a non-security will not change regardless of the outcome of the appeal. Garlinghouse emphasized that the SEC's appeal is a waste of taxpayer money and that Ripple has already won a significant victory in court. He stated that the court's ruling made it clear that the sale of XRP by Ripple to individuals through exchanges was not a violation of securities laws. Alderoty noted that there were no victims or losses in this case and that the SEC is continuing its "regulation by enforcement" approach against the crypto industry. He also added that the company is considering filing a cross-appeal, in which a party that has been sued appeals some aspect of a lower court's ruling in their favor. The SEC's appeal comes after a U.S. court ruled that the sale of XRP by Ripple to individuals through exchanges was not a violation of securities laws. However, the court found that Ripple's direct sales of XRP to institutional investors constituted an unregistered securities offering and imposed a $125 million penalty. Ripple has maintained that XRP is not a security and that the SEC's lawsuit is an overreach. The company has vowed to fight the SEC's appeal and has said that it is confident that it will ultimately prevail.