This article is available in Spanish.
A British judge has dismissed the long-pending lawsuit by James Howells, who sought access to a landfill containing a hard drive containing Bitcoin worth more than $770 million. This ends the 12-year saga for the IT engineer from Newport, Wales who has captivated the cryptocurrency community for all these years.
In 2009, Howells mined 8,000 Bitcoin, which was valued very low at the time but is now trading around. $94,600with preparations for a major BTC comeback after recent price drops.
However, Howells’ former partner accidentally threw away the hard drive containing his private keys in 2013, making the money inaccessible. He has since taken legal action to get permission to excavate the Newport landfill. He even offered some of the recovered Bitcoin to the municipality.
James Howells loses 12-year legal battle
Although Howells made repeated requests and put forward his proposal for excavation, Newport City Council rejected his appeal due to logistical and environmental concerns. The final straw came when Circuit Commercial Judge Keyser dismissed the case on the grounds of “no realistic prospect” of success. He described the search as like looking for a needle in a haystack and was simply not feasible.
“Everything that ends up in the landfill becomes the property of the municipality,” the judge said.
Howells expressed frustration after losing the 12-year legal battle, claiming authorities had not properly considered his case. However, he acknowledged that the court confirmed his ownership of the Bitcoin. Now he must explore alternative options, such as tokenization, to monetize his digital assets.
The Howells case serves as a precautionary measure for global crypto investors. It shows the importance of storing digital assets securely. Cryptocurrencies differ from traditional financial systems and require private keys for access. Losing these keys can lead to permanent loss of assets.
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Crypto wallets come with features like automatic backups, multi-device sync, and robust security protocols. In this context, Best Wallet ensures that investors never face catastrophic losses like Howells. Investors who prioritize security and convenience should adopt a modern wallet as a smart step to protect their crypto assets in the digital economy.
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