Craig Wright has once again illustrated a complete contempt for the legal system he is relying on to prove his is Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto by entering a typed piece of paper and a LinkedIn printout as evidence of attorney-client privilege.
Wright’s ludicrous attempts to evade the request of the lawyers for the estate of his erstwhile business partner Dave Kleiman were not bought by the judge in his long-running case, Judge Reinhart, and Wright now has until March 12 to submit to the plaintiff’s demands.
Wright Drags His Wife into the Case
Wright was trying to use attorney-client privilege to explain why he couldn’t divulge how, after months of saying it was impossible, he suddenly managed to get his hands on a list of his Bitcoin holdings.
The request is part of the long-running court case between Wright and his former Bitcoin mining partner Dave Kleiman over the fate of the one million Bitcoin they supposedly mined together in Bitcoin’s early days.
The Kleiman legal team had asked how Wright had obtained the necessary information after spending months saying that he couldn’t do it, a request that Judge Reinhart had ordered Wright to comply with.
Wright objected based on attorney-client privilege and spousal privilege among other excuses, asserting that his wife, as trustee of the Tulip Trust III, received an encrypted trust file containing the list, but that its source should remain private.
“I am Lawyer”
The story really gets interesting however when Wright’s legal team tried to explain the merits of their attorney-client privilege claim between the so-called bonded courier and Wright’s wife, Ramona Watts:
To establish an attorney-client relationship between Mr. Mayaka and Ms. Watts, Dr. Wright introduced a sworn, un-notarized, Declaration of Denis Bosire Mayaka. […] The Declaration states, “I am lawyer [sic] and obtained my bachelor of law degree in 2007 from Moi University in Kenya.” Dr. Wright also introduced a printout of a LinkedIn profile that reflects Mr. Mayaka having a Bachelor of Laws degree from Moi University.
This utterly ludicrous attempt by Wright did not hold any sway with Judge Reinhart:
The record does not establish that an attorney-client relationship exists between Mr. Mayaka and Ms. Watts. First, as finder of fact, I disregard the Mayaka Declaration because it has not been adequately authenticated. Particularly given my prior finding that Dr. Wright has produced forged documents in this litigation, I decline to rely on this kind of document, which could easily have been generated by anyone with word processing software and a pen.
Judge Reinhart further slammed the nail into the coffin by referencing Wright’s prior behavior in his courtroom:
…I give no weight to sworn statements of Dr. Wright that advance his interests but that have not been challenged by cross-examination and for which I cannot make a credibility determination. I have previously found that Dr. Wright gave perjured testimony in my presence.
Judge Reinhart summarized that the documents provided by Wright, even if they were genuine, do not establish an attorney-client relationship, and that Wright does not have the authority to claim attorney-client privilege anyway. Spousal privilege also does not apply, he says, because the documents passed over “were not intended to be confidential.”
Wright’s Busy Couple of Days
In dismissing all Wright’s objections, Judge Reinhart asserts that the nChain founder has until 17:00 EST on March 12 to “provide amended verified answers to these interrogatories” or face contempt of court charges.
Buckle up, folks.
