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James Howells, a UK man who lost a hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoins a decade ago, is suing Newport City Council for refusing him permission to dig it out of a landfill. The Bitcoin is worth over $647 million. Howells, who reportedly has the backing of landfill reclamation firm FLI Group, insists UK law recognises Bitcoin as personal property. However, the council maintains the search would have significant environmental impacts and accuses Howells of distraction tactics. The case is due in court on December 3.

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Remember James Howells, the guy from the UK who accidentally threw away a hard drive loaded with Bitcoin about a decade ago? Well, he’s back in the news because he’s been trying to dig it out of a landfill in Newport, but the city won’t let him. And now he’s suing them.

This is no small amount of Bitcoin he lost—about 8,000 BTC, which, at today’s rates, is worth more than $647 million! After loads of unsuccessful attempts to get the city council’s approval to start digging, Howells has decided to take them to court.

In his defense, he said that he has tried to resolve the issue in a friendly and professional way but the council hasn’t shown any interest. He further argues that the council’s concerns about environmental impact are baseless.

Howells brought in FLI Group, a firm known for its work in landfill reclamation, saying that not only could they dig out the hard drive, but they could also clean up the dump site, which apparently has been leaking some nasty stuff into the environment.

According to Howells, UK law considers Bitcoin and other digital assets as personal property. So he should have the right to get back his hard drive as it contains these valuables. He’s arguing that if the council keeps refusing him access, then they should compensate him for the worth of the lost Bitcoin.

But Newport City Council isn’t budging. They’ve said digging up the landfill isn’t an option with the current environmental permits in place and that the negative environmental impact would be too great. They also accused Howells of trying to distract attention from a weak claim.

This legal scuffle is scheduled for court on Dec. 3. We’ll see if the judge permits Howells to retrieve his long-lost treasure or forces the council to pony up for its value. Howells still hopes for a positive ending while continuing to believe in the potential of cryptocurrencies.

Source: Cointelegraph