UK judge says there’s no “reasonable grounds” for success with Bitcoin landfill hard drive case

• Upon hearing the judge’s decision, Howells said “it’s the great British justice system striking again”
• Howells lost his hard drive in 2013 when it was accidentally thrown away at the tip
• He has been trying to engage with Newport City Council for 12 years to recover his hard drive, but says he’s been “largely ignored”

James Howells has lost his case to recover a lost Bitcoin hard drive from a Welsh landfill that’s now worth around $740 million.

Howells accidentally threw out his hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoin in 2013 during a household clearout. At the time, he had two hard drives of the same size: one was blank while the other contained his Bitcoin.

He mistakenly put the one containing the Bitcoin into a black bin bag, which his then-girlfriend took to the tip. At the time of his loss, his assets – that he mined in 2009 – were worth around $1.3 million.

In October, Howells sued Newport City Council for $646 million in damages after being denied access to the landfill due to environmental concerns.

Now, Judge Keyser KC, the Circuit Commercial Judge for Wales, has dismissed Howells’ case, stating that there are no “reasonable grounds” for succeeding at a full trial, reports the BBC.

A 12-year battle

Upon hearing the decision, Howells said he was “very upset,” adding “it’s the great British justice system striking again.”

Over the past 12 years, Howells said he has been trying to engage with Newport City Council to recover his lost hard drive, but has been “largely ignored.”

A court filing states Howells hard drive is located in Cell 2, Area 2 of the Docksway landfill. Yet, despite promises to safely excavate the Newport site and to modernize the landfill, the council have rejected Howells’ requests to dig due to “environmental concerns.”

Howells’ lawyers claim that the council have “simply ignored” that 10% of Bitcoin could bring “a huge and desperately needed investment in the local community.”

The judge’s decision comes as Bitcoin soared past $100,000 for the first time at the beginning of December, pushing to an all-time high of more than $108,000.