Defendant Files to Dismiss New York Lawsuit Seeking Ownership of 39,069 Bitcoin Wallets
A pseudonymous defendant has moved to dismiss a New York lawsuit seeking ownership of 39,069 dormant Bitcoin addresses, arguing that Bitcoin addresses are merely data strings that cannot be sued. The. . .
A pseudonymous defendant has moved to dismiss a New York lawsuit seeking ownership of 39,069 dormant Bitcoin addresses, arguing that Bitcoin addresses are merely data strings that cannot be sued. The defendant, identifying themselves as “John Doe 33,” filed a notice of appearance andmotion to dismisson Thursday, claiming they control one of the dormant wallets named in the lawsuit. According to the motion, the lawsuit is legally defective because Bitcoin address strings are neither persons nor legal entities subject to the court's jurisdiction. The filing argues that a public Bitcoin address cannot itself be “found” under New York's lost-property law because it has always been publicly visible on the blockchain. The filing challenges thelawsuitfiled in May by plaintiff “Noah Doe” and two Wyoming-based LLCs, ABC Company and XYZ Company. The plaintiffs claim the Bitcoin tied to the listed addresses constitutes abandoned property that they reported to the New York Police Department and claimed under New York lost-property law. Regardless of how the court rules on ownership, it remains unclear how the plaintiffs could recover any Bitcoin without possessing the private keys needed to access the wallets. Defendant files a motion to dismiss the case seeking ownership of 39,069 Bitcoin wallets. Source: iapps. court. state. ny. usThe complaint lists 39,069 Bitcoin addresses, including wallet addresses widely associated with Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto and the Mt. Gox hacker. The listed wallets collectively hold an estimated 3. 7 million BTC (worth about $234 billion),accordingto Sani, founder of Bitcoin analytics platform Timechain Index. Related:Bitcoin miner MARA spent $4. 3M on CEO security in 2025 as crypto attacks riseDefendant appears to control $300 million Bitcoin walletBlockchain data suggests that “John Doe 33” controls a wallet holding 5,000 BTC received in April 2014 that has remained untouched for more than 12 years, making it worth more than $300 million at current prices, according to a FridayX postfrom Galaxy Digital head of research Alex Thorn. “That's ~100x the median defendant address. This is a real holder with real standing choosing to fight, not a bystander. ”Source:Alex ThornThorn added that the filing prevented what had been a “near-certain” default judgment and challenged jurisdictional and statutory defects in the plaintiffs' case. The supply of Bitcoin has been dormant for the past five and 10 years. Source: BitboThere are currently 3. 5 million BTC, worth about $215 billion, that have been dormant for the past 10 years and another 6. 6 million coins, worth around $406 billion, that have been dormant for over five years, Bitbodatashows. Magazine:How crypto laws changed in 2025 — and how they’ll change in 2026Cointelegraph is committed to independent, transparent journalism. This news article is produced in accordance with Cointelegraph’sEditorial Policyand aims to provide accurate and timely information. Readers are encouraged to verify information independently.