Law360: Bitcoin ‘Creator’ Tries To Block Evidence In £4.5B Claim
“Bitcoin’s self-proclaimed “inventor” sought to throw out evidence used by 10 developers of the cryptocurrency in English legal proceedings to support their allegation he is fraudulently suing them for £4.5 billion ($5.4 billion) of bitcoin he is trying to get back after being allegedly hacked.
Dr. Craig Wright, who asserts he is the pseudonymous creator of the cryptocurrency, Satoshi Nakamoto, urged High Court Judge James Mellor to throw out parts of a witness statement relied on by the cryptocurrency developers that refer to legal and quasi-legal findings because they are irrelevant or are not used properly.
Tulip is bidding to strike out passages in a written statement to the court that rely on alleged judicial findings from courts in Australia, the U.S., Norway, and the High Court, along with quasi-judicial findings of the Australian Tax Office, according to Tulip’s written argument.
Sebastian Isaac, the defendants’ counsel, argued that his clients were entitled to rely on the evidence for their argument that Wright is prima facie knowingly suing them for dishonest reasons while relying on forged documents.
“In most cases that would not be a prospect, because the claimant is not someone with a long track record of fraud and forgery,” Isaac said. “Dr Wright (and therefore Tulip Trading) know that they are not and have never been the owners of the digital assets,” Isaac added in court filings. “This claim is pursued deliberately on the basis of that falsehood in order to seek to use legal proceedings before this court as a means of grabbing an enticing US$4.5 billion pot.”
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