Judge halts attempt to retrieve Bitcoin hard drive worth nearly $750 million from landfill

Published On Jan 10, 2025, 12:08 AM

A judge has dismissed James Howells' legal effort to recover nearly $750 million worth of Bitcoin that he lost in a landfill in 2013. Howell’s claim was deemed to have no reasonable grounds for success. The ruling halts a decade-long saga where Howells offered to fund the excavation to retrieve the hard drive, which he claims contains a substantial Bitcoin fortune. The judge ruled that the Newport City Council likely owns the hard drive and that there was no compelling reason for the claim to proceed to trial.