Blake Houghton 🍁 on Nostr: Poor guy. _______________________________________________ Judge Rejects Man's 11-Year ...
Poor guy.
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Judge Rejects Man's 11-Year Landfill Bitcoin Excavation Quest
• A British judge dismissed James Howells's lawsuit against Newport City Council, ending his 11-year attempt to recover a hard drive containing approximately 8,000 bitcoins from a landfill.
• Howells claims the hard drive, lost in 2013, holds a private key to bitcoins he mined in 2009, now worth an estimated $765 million.
• The judge ruled that Howells had no realistic chance of success, citing the Control of Pollution Act 1974, which states that waste delivered to the council becomes the council's property.
• The court also found that excavating the landfill posed significant environmental risks and public health concerns, as it would release harmful substances.
• Furthermore, the judge determined that Howells' claim was barred by the six-year statute of limitations, as he knew about the lost hard drive in 2013 but didn't file suit until 2024.
• The judge's decision focused solely on ownership and access rights to the hard drive, without addressing the actual existence or accessibility of the bitcoins.
• Howells expressed his disappointment, claiming the ruling denied him a fair opportunity to present his case and arguing that the situation represents a significant injustice.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/01/judge-ends-mans-11-year-quest-to-dig-up-landfill-and-recover-765m-in-bitcoin/
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Judge Rejects Man's 11-Year Landfill Bitcoin Excavation Quest
• A British judge dismissed James Howells's lawsuit against Newport City Council, ending his 11-year attempt to recover a hard drive containing approximately 8,000 bitcoins from a landfill.
• Howells claims the hard drive, lost in 2013, holds a private key to bitcoins he mined in 2009, now worth an estimated $765 million.
• The judge ruled that Howells had no realistic chance of success, citing the Control of Pollution Act 1974, which states that waste delivered to the council becomes the council's property.
• The court also found that excavating the landfill posed significant environmental risks and public health concerns, as it would release harmful substances.
• Furthermore, the judge determined that Howells' claim was barred by the six-year statute of limitations, as he knew about the lost hard drive in 2013 but didn't file suit until 2024.
• The judge's decision focused solely on ownership and access rights to the hard drive, without addressing the actual existence or accessibility of the bitcoins.
• Howells expressed his disappointment, claiming the ruling denied him a fair opportunity to present his case and arguing that the situation represents a significant injustice.
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2025/01/judge-ends-mans-11-year-quest-to-dig-up-landfill-and-recover-765m-in-bitcoin/