$293B Bitcoin ‘Noah Doe’ Lawsuit Faces Major Test After First Wallet Holder Files Motion to Dismiss

The lawsuit, filed in March 2026, seeks a declaratory judgment awarding ownership of roughly 3.8 million BTC held in about 39,069 dormant addresses, many linked to historic hacks and the Satoshi mining pattern. The plaintiffs, identified only as “Noah Doe” and two Wyoming companies, argue they discovered the addresses with proprietary software, delivered the list to the NYPD as found property, and invoked New York’s Personal Property Law Article 7‑B. A stay was granted on June 5 after New York attorney Ian R. Cohen filed an amicus curiae brief contesting the plaintiffs’ legal theory, arguing that blockchain addresses are not tangible property and that inactivity does not constitute abandonment.

On June 30, a pseudonymous respondent calling himself “John Doe 33” filed a notice of appearance and a motion to dismiss, becoming the first named wallet holder to oppose the case. He claims to be a natural person protecting his identity from security risks and reserves all defenses. Two days later, on July 2, a wallet listed in the complaint (No. 881) moved 500 BTC, further undermining the abandonment argument. These developments, along with the court’s scheduled oral arguments on July 14, could reshape the litigation’s trajectory, potentially narrowing or halting the case before the merits are decided.

(Source：Bitcoin News)