Craig Wright’s court case with Ira Kleiman over ₿500,000 is dead and buried, but Wright is hoping to bring it back to life with a challenge on the decision. Under Florida law, Wright has until September 10 to mount an appeal, but his legal team is asking for more time. Usually a judge wouldn’t consider the request, but Wright’s team is playing on Hurricane Dorian to try and leverage some extra time. Wright’s team claims that they have been busy preparing for the storm, taking away time from the case – a fairly reasonable excuse.
Will a Judge Even Allow a Challenge?
Magistrate Reinhart ruled that due to the excessive number of forged documents and evidence against Wright, he must pay Ira Kleiman ₿500,000. On top of this, Kleiman has been awarded 50% of all intellectual property of Bitcoin before the death of David Kleiman. Given that Wright submitted so many falsified documents, there is enough reason to believe that the judge won’t accept any challenges on the motion.
Kleiman’s Counsel Accepts
Wright’s legal counsel proposed the time extension to the legal counsel of Ira Kleiman, who accepted the reasoning behind the extension request. The request has been made in good faith and Wright’s counsel pleads that it’s not simply to give Wright the power to delay paying Kleiman what is owed to him. Should the courts accept the request, the new deadline for Wright and his legal team to mount a challenge will be extended to September 24.
No Leg Left to Stand On
It looks like it could be an uphill battle Craig Wright and his legal team, especially after some of the comments made in the final day of the court case. Magistrate Reinhart tore Wright apart and had comments on almost every part of his defense, leading many to believe that Wright’s request to challenge – if he mounts one – will be denied. If Magistrate Reinhart does shock the world and give Wright a final chance to challenge the decision, we’re likely to see Wright offer up some sort of truth in a bid for a reduced bill to Kleiman.
Wright really has no leg to stand on, and his conflicting statements hint that he has been backed into a corner and is panicking. If Wright is given the chance to get back in the courtroom, his documents will be scrutinized even more closely than last time and his testimony will be triple checked. It’s not easy for Wright from here, and his best hope could be to admit he isn’t really Satoshi Nakamoto, but we don’t see that happening anytime soon.
