Report: Craig Wright Must Forfeit 50% of Bitcoin in Court Case

The protracted legal battle involving self-proclaimed Bitcoin (BTC) inventor Craig Wright and the estate of computer scientist David Kleiman could go in Kleiman’s favor.

According to a court audience member on Aug. 26, Judge Bruce Reinhart rejected Wright's testimony, stating that he had perjured himself by providing the court with falsified documents and recommended that he hand over 50% of the over 1 million bitcoins Kleiman mined with Wright, as well as intellectual property rights associated with Bitcoin’s software.

The case began in February 2018 when lawyers filed the case against Wright, accusing him of stealing hundreds of thousands of Bitcoin — at press time valued at over $5 billion — after Kleiman’s death in April 2013.

While documents are currently not available regarding the ruling, an evidentiary hearing for the case was scheduled for today regarding the plaintiffs' motion for sanctions/contempt on order compelling discovery.

Read the follow-up to this story here.