Wales engineer takes legal action to retrieve lost Bitcoins worth $647 million
Howells has filed a lawsuit seeking £495 million in damages to pressure the council to permit excavation of the landfill where the drive is believed to be.
James Howells, a software engineer from Wales, has taken legal action against Newport City Council to recover a hard drive containing around 8,000 Bitcoin. The hard drive, which was accidentally discarded, is now worth approximately $514 million.
Howells has been repeatedly denied permission to excavate the landfill where the drive is believed to be located. In response, he filed a lawsuit seeking damages of £495 million, aiming to pressure the council into allowing the search. Howells has offered the council 10% of the recovered Bitcoin’s value if successful.
Despite these efforts, Newport Council remains firm in its refusal, citing potential environmental risks, and has dismissed the lawsuit as weak. The case is expected to be heard in December.
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