Exchange Ranking
Top Exchanges
24h Volume Ranking
Popularity Ranking
Exchange BTC Balance
Proof of Reserves
Decentralized Exchanges
Funding Rate
Funding Heatmap
Liquidation Data
Max Pain
Long/Short Ratio
Whale L/S Ratio
Binance/Okex/Huobi L/S
Bitfinex Margin L/S
ETF Tracker
Solana ETF
XRP ETF
Hong Kong ETF
Bitcoin Treasuries
Crypto Reversal
Ethereum Reserves
HyperLiquid Wallet Analysis
Hyperliquid Whale Watch
Large Transactions
On-chain Movement
Bitcoin ROI
Stablecoin Market Cap
Options Analysis
News
Articles
Economic Calendar
Features
Wallet
Contract Calculator
Security
Collections
Watchlist
Following
BTC New York dormant Bitcoin wallet ownership lawsuit: Plaintiff withdraws 44 addresses
A New York lawsuit aimed at obtaining legal ownership of dormant Bitcoin wallets was narrowed down after transferring funds from multiple listed addresses.
Abstract
Plaintiff Noah Doe\'s legal team withdrew his claim for 44 wallets after chain activities challenged the \"abandonment\" claim.
According to Galaxy Research\'s Thorn, the removed wallets held a total of 21,443 bitcoins at the beginning of the lawsuit.
Relevant legal documents and amicus curiae opinions believe that long-term dormant self-custody status does not prove that Bitcoin has been abandoned.
Litigation progress: 44 addresses were removed due to chain activity
Alex Thorn, director of Galaxy Research, said that in this \"abandoned bitcoin\" lawsuit, the plaintiff has withdrawn 44 of the 39,069 defendant wallets originally listed. The case, filed by Noah Doe and two Wyoming entities, aims to gain ownership of long-dormant Bitcoin wallets.
Thorn pointed out that every wallet removed was transferred on-chain after the case was filed. \"Since the case was filed, every wallet removed has moved funds on the chain,\" he wrote in a July 8 post.
At the same time, the lawsuit asks the New York Supreme Court to consider the wallets abandoned property under New York State\'s Lost and Found Objects Act. The original lawsuit involved 39,069 wallets holding approximately 3.7 million bitcoins, including ties with Satoshi Nakamoto and Mt. Address related to Gox hackers.
Chain activity challenges the \"dormant\" claim
Thorn stated that at the beginning of the case, the 44 removed addresses held a total of 21,443 bitcoins. He added that the wallets later transferred 46,334 bitcoins along the chain and currently hold about 3,097 bitcoins.
This development is important because the indictment itself stated that wallets with chain activity would be removed from the case. Thorn believes the latest legal document appears to follow this standard, removing addresses that no longer meet the so-called \"dormant\" characteristics.
This update added pressure to the plaintiff\'s theory. A dormant bitcoin can remain untouched for years, especially when the holder uses cold storage. The wallet may be inactive for a long time, but the owner still controls the private key.
In addition, it was reported that funds were transferred from a wallet linked to the case after nearly 15 years of inactivity. Similar transfers have occurred in other named addresses before, weakening the argument that mere inactivity can prove abandonment.
Legal resistance increases
The case has met formal objections. Attorney Ian R. Cohen challenged the lawsuit, arguing that under New York law, dormant self-custodial bitcoins are not abandoned property. Cohen\'s legal opinion was filed ahead of a July 14 hearing related to procedural issues in the case. The court had previously suspended further action, limiting the plaintiff\'s ability to seek a default judgment until procedural issues were resolved.
The Digital Chamber also filed an amicus curiae opinion opposing the claim. The group warned that plaintiffs \'interpretation of New York law could affect self-managed digital assets far beyond the wallets listed in the case.
Galaxy\'s previous report also pointed out that even if the plaintiff won in court, he would not be able to obtain the private keys of these wallets, but would only obtain a legal statement. This can cause problems if the relevant tokens later enter a regulated exchange or custodian.
Tokens related to Satoshi Nakamoto are still in focus
The lawsuit has attracted much attention because many of the wallets listed were related to early Bitcoin mining. Galaxy said the claim covers more than 21,000 \"Patoshi model\" addresses that researchers believe are related to Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto.
Thorn said,\"There is no evidence that any of the 39,069 addresses are \'lost\',\" and the latest address removal clearly shows that certain wallets are still under control. His comments further demonstrate that long-term silence on the chain does not amount to legal abandonment.
Although the plaintiffs still retain thousands of addresses in the case, the removal of active wallets suggests that the list of defendants is not fixed and that on-chain activity can change the landscape of litigation.
