English judge dismisses lawsuit for buried Bitcoin hard drive worth $770 million

James Howells has lost his lawsuit to reclaim a Bitcoin hard drive worth $770 million from a landfill because the judge determined that there was no realistic chance of success.

James Howells, an IT engineer from Newport, Wales, has lost the legal battle to recover a hard drive containing Bitcoin worth over $770 million.

The Bitcoin hard drive was mined in 2009, was accidentally discarded, and ended up in a landfill. The Newport City Council has denied access to the landfill due to environmental permit restrictions.

In the latest development, Judge Keyser, a District Commercial Court judge in Wales, has dismissed Howells' lawsuit seeking access to the Newport landfill to retrieve his hard drive, according to a report on January 9 by the BBC.

Keyser stated that this lawsuit had "no realistic prospect" of succeeding in a full trial.

Since 2013, Howells has repeatedly asked the council for permission to access the site, while also offering to share a portion of the lost Bitcoin if the hard drive is found.