Craig Wright Losses Kleiman Case, Must Turn Over Half of BTC Holdings

Tuesday, 27/08/2019 | 10:44 GMT by Arnab Shome
  • He is entitled to appeal against the ruling in a higher court.
Craig Wright Losses Kleiman Case, Must Turn Over Half of BTC Holdings
Craig Wright

Craig Wright, the self-proclaimed creator of Bitcoin, was dealt a massive blow as a Florida District Court judge ordered him to turn half of his Bitcoin holdings and intellectual property (IP) rights to the estate of David Kleiman.

According to Monday's ruling on the Kleiman v. Wright case, Judge Bruce Reinhart of the Southern District of Florida court ordered Wright to hand over 50 percent of Bitcoins and IP rights associated with Bitcoin’s software held by him prior to December 31, 2013.

The ruling came after the Judge rejected Wright’s testimony on the grounds of perjury and falsifying documents.

Despite the ruling, procedural issues are still pending, including the collection of holdings. Though Wright can appeal against the judgment in a higher court, he is not entitled to a jury trial or to oppose the hearing.

Billions in BTC are in stake

The estate of Wright’s late business partner, David Kleiman, filed a lawsuit in February 2018 over claims that Wright misappropriated a $10 billion fortune. The allegations concern the ownership of between 550,000 and 1.1 million bitcoins, which the two business partners mined together, as well as the ‎intellectual property rights of various Blockchain technologies.

Earlier in May, the same court ordered Wright to disclose the public Bitcoin addresses owned by him as of December 31, 2013.

Wright is one of the most controversial figures in the crypto space. His claims of being the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto were squashed by many prominent figures in the industry.

Last month, a UK court dismissed defamation changes brought by him against Roger Ver due to jurisdictional issues. He also filed another similar lawsuit against podcaster Peter McCormick, which is still ongoing.

Craig Wright, the self-proclaimed creator of Bitcoin, was dealt a massive blow as a Florida District Court judge ordered him to turn half of his Bitcoin holdings and intellectual property (IP) rights to the estate of David Kleiman.

According to Monday's ruling on the Kleiman v. Wright case, Judge Bruce Reinhart of the Southern District of Florida court ordered Wright to hand over 50 percent of Bitcoins and IP rights associated with Bitcoin’s software held by him prior to December 31, 2013.

The ruling came after the Judge rejected Wright’s testimony on the grounds of perjury and falsifying documents.

Despite the ruling, procedural issues are still pending, including the collection of holdings. Though Wright can appeal against the judgment in a higher court, he is not entitled to a jury trial or to oppose the hearing.

Billions in BTC are in stake

The estate of Wright’s late business partner, David Kleiman, filed a lawsuit in February 2018 over claims that Wright misappropriated a $10 billion fortune. The allegations concern the ownership of between 550,000 and 1.1 million bitcoins, which the two business partners mined together, as well as the ‎intellectual property rights of various Blockchain technologies.

Earlier in May, the same court ordered Wright to disclose the public Bitcoin addresses owned by him as of December 31, 2013.

Wright is one of the most controversial figures in the crypto space. His claims of being the mysterious Satoshi Nakamoto were squashed by many prominent figures in the industry.

Last month, a UK court dismissed defamation changes brought by him against Roger Ver due to jurisdictional issues. He also filed another similar lawsuit against podcaster Peter McCormick, which is still ongoing.

About the Author: Arnab Shome
Arnab Shome
  • 7315 Articles
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About the Author: Arnab Shome
Arnab Shome is an electronics engineer-turned-financial editor. He holds a Bachelor of Technology from the National Institute of Technology, Agartala. He entered the retail trading industry about a decade ago, covering the cryptocurrency market for Finance Magnates, and later expanded his coverage to include forex and CFDs as well. His work at Finance Magnates includes C-level interviews, data-driven analysis, opinion pieces, and scoops of industry exclusives. He also contributes to Finance Magnates’ quarterly industry report. Area of coverage: 1. CFD broker-related news 2. Industry-related Regulatory updates and developments 3. New retail trading trends 4. Prop trading industry updates 5. Executive interviews Education: Bachelor of Technology - National Institute of Technology, Agartala (India)
  • 7315 Articles
  • 133 Followers

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