Court Dismisses Bitcoin Miner’s Lawsuit to Recover $750M Hard Drive from Landfill

James Howells' decade-long effort to excavate a Newport landfill for his lost Bitcoin fortune ends as a judge rules the case has no legal or realistic grounds.

James Howells lost a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoin, now worth approximately $750 million, in a Newport, Wales landfill in 2013 due to an accidental disposal.
A High Court judge dismissed Howells’ legal claim to excavate the landfill or seek compensation, citing no reasonable grounds or realistic prospect of success at trial.
Newport City Council argued the hard drive became its property upon entering the landfill and cited environmental risks as a reason to deny excavation requests.
Howells had offered to share up to 25% of the Bitcoin's value with the council and community, alongside a detailed excavation plan, but these proposals were repeatedly rejected.
Despite the court ruling, Howells expressed frustration and vowed to explore alternative methods to recover value from the lost cryptocurrency.