James Howells, a UK computer engineer, is suing Newport City Council for £495m after losing a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoins, now valued at around $647m. Howells, who accidentally discarded the drive in 2013, has been fighting for more than a decade to get it back, but his requests to dig up the local landfill have been rejected over the council's environmental concerns.
Despite offering a 10% bonus on the value of the recovery if the disk is found, Newport City Council has refused to allow the search, citing risks to public health and the environment. Howells, meanwhile, has submitted an $11 million plan to carry out the excavation at no cost to the local government, but authorities remain adamant in their decision to block the project.
With a lawsuit scheduled for December, this case could set a precedent in the fight over lost cryptocurrency assets. Will Howells be able to recover his digital fortune or will environmental restrictions prevail? The cryptocurrency world is still watching closely.
