The ongoing legal battle between Dr. Craig Wright, the creator of Bitcoin and originator of the pseudonym Satoshi Nakamoto, and Ira Kleiman, brother of Dr. Wright’s deceased close friend Dave Kleiman, is reaching an important breaking point. The case is set to go to mediation on June 18, and a recent filing by Dr. Wright’s lawyers reveals how much the case is stacked in his favor.
It’s become increasingly clear that Ira Kleiman doesn’t have much evidence to support his claim that Wright stole 1.1 million Bitcoin from his old friend. The latest filing states:
“…plaintiffs’ case is insufficient for the defense to evaluate plaintiffs’ claims and therefore impossible to create any settlement authority…The defendant cannot now make sense of the claims against him by Dave Kleiman’s estranged brother cum representative of the estate. Defendant has yet to receive any meaningful discovery from plaintiffs that supports the allegation made against Dr. Wright of the alleged “theft” of Bitcoin and intellectual property from his good friend Dave Kleiman”
An important part of the American legal system is discovery, where the plaintiff must share the evidence they have with the defense, specifically so that the defense can prepare its rebuttal to that evidence. In this case, Ira Kleiman’s team hasn’t shared much of substance with Dr. Wright’s team, suggesting that he doesn’t have much of a case to go on.
If anything significant has come out of this case, its further proof that Dr. Wright’s story is being proven true with each new piece of evidence that surfaces. Ira Kleiman’s accusations go so far as to confirm this, and the judge has basically accepted it at this point. Witnesses called on by both sides add to the evidence, with the filing stating: “…key witnesses with knowledge of the alleged facts of this case do not substantiate (and, in fact, totally contradict) plaintiffs’ claims. These witnesses include Dave’s closest friends and work colleagues.”
Richard Shultz, who analyzed the case on the Bitcoin SV (BSV) writing platform Yours.org, said this of the case:
“If one had evidence against the person they are pursuing in a legal setting, what reason would there be to hide it from the initial discovery? Why not make the information freely available and immediately? Is the goal not to win the case? The only determination that could be made in lieu more information being exposed by the hand of the court is that there simply is not any other evidence to present. If mediation is not postponed and no further evidence is presented by court order, June 18, 2019 is shaping up to be vindication for Dr. Craig Wright.”
This is not surprising to Calvin Ayre, founder and owner of CoinGeek. He commented, “Satoshi told me when he first met me in 2015 that he owned the Satoshi coins and Dr. Craig Wright is being proven Wright again.”
The world will be looking to Florida to see how that June 18 mediation hearing goes, and if the Judge will rule if the Satoshi Coins in the Tulip trust legitimately belong to Satoshi Nakamoto. If they do, that will both confirm that Ira Kleiman’s case is basically done, and Dr. Craig Wright is legally recognized as both the owner of all that money, and as Satoshi Nakamoto.
New to blockchain? Check out CoinGeek’s Blockchain for Beginners section, the ultimate resource guide to learn more about blockchain technology.
