- Craig Wright will rely on a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder in his case against the estate of Dave Kleiman
- Wright’s team claim that his ASD diagnosis excuses some of the errors in his personal timeline of events
- The diagnosis was revealed during opening statements in the Kleiman vs Wright case
Craig Wright’s legal team are relying on a recent diagnosis of autism to defend his actions in his case against the estate of Dave Kleiman. The case, which was filed all the way back in February 2018, has finally come to court and yesterday saw jury selection and opening statements, in which both camps set out their strategies in front of the freshly selected jury. During their opening statement, Wright’s team used a recently-made diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to excuse much of his antagonistic behaviour and contradictory statements, but how this will play for the jury remains unknown.
Kleiman Camp Say Wright Admitted to Partnership
In their opening statements, the Kleiman team contested that there was ample proof that Craig Wright mined millions of early bitcoin with his now deceased best friend Dave Kleiman and illegally moved them into his own wallets. They also contest that Wright illegally signed over intellectual property (IP) from a company the pair allegedly worked on also worth millions of dollars to himself.
The early proof offered to back up these claims came in the form of a timeline that showed Wright stating on several occasions in emails and through transcripts that Kleiman was involved in the process. Wright’s team, however, insisted that Wright acted alone, despite the many emails to the contrary.
Wright Puts Inconsistencies Down to ASD
Wright’s camp argued that Kleiman was a friend but never a partner in the early mining, claiming that Wright’s miscommunications on this front are down to his ASD, which manifests itself in unconventional behaviour.
Wright has previously referred to himself as an “Aspie kid”, referring to Asperger’s syndrome, and said in 2020 that he had been diagnosed with ASD. This, he says, explains his erratic behaviour and inconsistencies, adding that he now considers himself to be a genius-level autistic savant with an IQ higher than that of Albert Einstein and Steven Hawking.
Ira Kleiman Comes in for Flack on Slack
Wright has been busy besmirching the opposition in his Slack group, saying that Ira Kleiman, the member of the family bringing the lawsuit, “will be a skid mark when this concludes” and that saying that being Satoshi “ was a financial negative”. This is not true, given that he pocketed $1.5 million and had his companies bailed out by nTrust CEO Robert MacGregor in 2015 on the basis that he came out as Satoshi Nakamoto during the 2016 signing sessions.
