Welsh Man Sues City for $644 Million Over Lost Bitcoin Hard Drive

James Howells seeks to recover a landfill-buried hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoins, now worth over $500 million, by suing Newport City Council.

James Howells accidentally discarded a hard drive containing 8,000 Bitcoins in 2013, which he now seeks to recover from a Newport landfill.
Howells has repeatedly been denied permission by the Newport City Council to excavate the landfill due to environmental concerns.
He is suing the council for £495 million ($644 million), reflecting the peak value of the Bitcoins earlier this year, as a strategy to gain excavation rights.
Howells has assembled a team of investors and experts for the recovery mission, offering the council 10% of any recovered Bitcoins.
The council maintains that excavation is not feasible under environmental regulations and has characterized Howells' legal claim as weak.