$500 Million in Bitcoin Buried in Landfill: Man Sues City After Decade-Long Fight for Recovery

James Howells is suing the Newport City Council after a decade-long battle to recover a hard drive containing 7,500 bitcoins, now worth nearly $500 million, that was mistakenly dumped in 2013. The council has repeatedly denied requests to excavate it, citing environmental concerns. Howells claims the data is recoverable.

Council sued over lost $500 million Bitcoin hard drive

James Howells, an IT engineer from Newport, Wales, is said to have filed a lawsuit against Newport City Council after more than a decade of attempts to recover a hard drive containing 7,500 bitcoins, now worth more than $470 million.

The hard drive was mistakenly dumped at a recycling center in 2013, causing Howells to lose access to his BTC. He claims the council has “largely ignored” his repeated requests to excavate the landfill where the hard drive was allegedly buried. According to court documents seen by Walesonline, Howells is seeking damages of £495,314,800 ($647 million), reflecting the peak valuation of his lost bitcoins earlier this year.

Howells, who has assembled a team of experts for the £10m dig, insists the dig will be carried out at no cost to the council. He has also offered the council 10% of the value of the recovered bitcoin, claiming: “I am still allocating 10% to the council despite the problems they have had along the way.” The bitcoin enthusiast added:

At current exchange rates it would be £41m but in the future it could be hundreds of millions of pounds. If they had spoken to me in 2013, this place would look like Las Vegas now. Newport would look like Dubai. That's the kind of opportunity they missed.

The dispute dates back to 2013, when a misunderstanding with his then partner led to the hard drive being accidentally thrown away. The bitcoins, worth less than £1m at the time, have since skyrocketed in value. Howells recalled the blunder, saying his partner initially refused to throw away the bin bag. He was “not too worried” at the time, as he had intended to double-check that he had put the hard drive in the correct bin bag. However, when he woke up at 9am, his partner had returned from picking up his children from school and had taken the bin bag away.

Howells has since devoted himself full-time to recovering the data, quitting his IT job and seeking investors to help fund the operation. He now believes there is an 80% chance that the data on the hard drive can be recovered if found. He said:

It is what it is. I could spend the rest of my life working a nine to five job and thinking about it every day. I could also spend my time trying to restore this simple piece of metal. Until the court tells me 'NO means no', I will continue.

“Obviously my financial situation is not in the best shape right now. I am focusing all my efforts and resources, including money, on the restoration project. I am struggling at this time,” he added.

Despite his persistence, Newport City Council has repeatedly rejected Howells’s appeals, citing environmental concerns. Howells’ team of experts, including the council’s former landfill manager, claim they can safely excavate the site using artificial intelligence.

What do you think of James Howells’ decade-long fight to recover his lost $500 million bitcoin fortune? Let us know in the comments below.
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