New York Lawsuit Challenged Over Control of 39,069 Dormant Bitcoin Wallets

A pseudonymous defendant has moved to dismiss a New York lawsuit seeking ownership of 39,069 dormant Bitcoin addresses. The defendant, identifying themselves as 'John Doe 33,' claims they control one of the wallets named in the lawsuit and argues that Bitcoin addresses are merely data strings that cannot be sued.

The lawsuit was filed by plaintiff 'Noah Doe' and two Wyoming-based LLCs, ABC Company and XYZ Company, who claim the Bitcoin tied to the listed addresses constitutes abandoned property under New York's lost-property law.

However, defendant 'John Doe 33' 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 jurisdictional and statutory defects in the plaintiffs' case. According to data from Galaxy Digital head of research Alex Thorn, defendant '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 over $300 million at current prices.