 UK Judge dismisses $770M Bitcoin landfill hard drive case 
2025-01-09
Category: None

James Howells, an IT engineer from Newport, Wales, has lost his legal battle to recover a hard drive with over $770 million worth of Bitcoin.
The hard drive holding over $770 million worth of Bitcoin BTCUSD mined in 2009, was mistakenly disposed of in a landfill, to which Howells is currently barred access by the Newport City Council due to its environmental permit.
In the latest development, Judge Keyser, the Circuit Commercial Judge for Wales, has thrown out Howells’ legal case seeking access to the Newport landfill to recover his hard drive.
Keyser said that the legal case had “no realistic prospect” of succeeding at a full trial, according to a Jan. 9 BBC report.
Since 2013, Howells has repeatedly requested the council’s permission to access the site, offering a share of the missing Bitcoin if the hard drive was found.
Howells’ case gained growing interest in 2024, amid Bitcoin’s historic rally to $100,000, which saw Bitcoin generate over 130% in yearly returns.
Cointelegraph has approached Howells for comment.