- Craig Wright’s case against the estate of Dave Kleiman drew to a close yesterday
- Wright was found to have stolen intellectual property from a company the pair operated together in 2013
- What did we learn from the case, the trial, and the verdict?
Craig Wright was yesterday told to pay $100 million to W&K Informational Defense, the company he started with Dave Kleiman, for stealing intellectual property from the ompany in the months after his death. With the almost four-year trial coming to an end, what did we learn from the claims, the case, and the verdict?
Wright is Still Not Satoshi Nakamoto
Wright’s supporters have been, as usual, quick to jump on the supposition that the fact that Wright won on all counts bar one meant that the jury had confirmed that he alone created Bitcoin.
The fact is that the judges in the case explicitly ruled early on that the identity of Satoshi Nakamoto was irrelevant to the case and would not be ruled on by the jury – which it wasn’t. The case related solely to a breach of partnership regarding a company Wright and Kleiman founded, W&K Informational Defense, with the ruling concerning only this matter.
Wright Did Not ‘Win’
It should be clear to anyone who understands the concept of justice that having a jury decide that you stole $100 million worth of assets from your best friend in the months after he died does not constitute a ‘win’, but this is the narrative that is being peddled, particularly by Wright’s legal representatives.
The narrative of Wright having ‘won’ seems to come from the fact that he was cleared of all but one charge, and indeed, the result could clearly have been worse for Wright. However, the concept that a victory is handing over $100 million on the basis that you stole or unfairly obtained that much in assets is another example of Wright’s camp trying to twist the narrative to suit them.
Kleiman May Not Get the Money
Ira Kleiman may be thrilled to have been awarded the $100 million, particularly when the entire endeavor was based on a facade of lies and really shouldn’t have got as far as it did, but there could be a sting in the tail. The money will be paid to the company Wright stole from, W&K Informational Defense, which Wright’s ex-wife Lynn Wright claims she is part owner of.
Lynn Wright has sued Ira Kleiman in this matter, and if Kleiman loses this case (which was halted to let the Kleiman vs Wright case pass first) he may not see a penny of the money awarded yesterday.
Satoshi’s Coins Probably Won’t Move
There has been another misconception in the Wright camp that were he ordered to pay Kleiman that he would have to send actual bitcoin from the Satsohi wallets. This was never true, with the money denominated in USD, but Wright has helped this story along, continually saying that “coins will move” which would prove his candidacy as Satoshi. This bitcoin is supposedly locked away in the Tulip Trust, the evidence for which has been found to be fraudulent in every respect.
With Wright owing $100 million in USD he is, as we already knew, under no obligation to move any bitcoin anywhere. His acolytes will be waiting with bated breath for the coins to move, while in the background Calvin Ayre will probably stump up the cash, which he always has and always will.
True Tests Lie Ahead
This case was never about Wright’s claim to be Satoshi Nakamoto, despite his best attempts to render it so. However, his case against Hodlonaut, one of two against the cartoon cat coming up in the next calendar year, very much is about that, with Wright suing on the basis that Hodlonaut’s claims he wasn’t Satoshi Nakamoto were defamatory.
The Hodlonaut case starts in around six weeks, with Wright’s evidence for his claims once again put before a jury. His evidence in the Klieman case was less than convincing, so it will be interesting to see how the next one pans out, unless he has more up his sleeve that he didn’t reveal at this trial.
