- The Kleiman vs Wright case will not get a retrial after the judge rejected a motion by the plaintiffs
- Ira Kleiman’s team had argued that Wright’s lawyers had improperly used the brothers’ relationship against their client
- The judge rejected this, saying the jury were told to ignore anything but factual evidence
The Kleiman vs Wright lawsuit, which culminated in December with Wright being ordered to pay $100 million to W&K Informational Defense, will not go to a retrial after the judge rejected an appeal by Ira Kleiman’s lawyers. Kleiman’s team had filed for a new trial based on assertions that Wright’s legal team had used the relationship between their client and his brother, Dave Kleiman, to diminish Ira’s reputation with the jury, but Judge Bloom denied that this had impacted the jury’s deliberations. This is despite a jury member admitting this in a post-trial interview.
Judge Bloom Denies Jury Was Impacted
Ira Kleiman’s lawyers had filed the motion for a retrial on January 4, claiming that Judge Bloom had barred discussions over the relationship between the brothers but that Wright’s team had done exactly that, painting their client in a bad light in the process.
This was challenged at the time during court proceedings and again following an interview with one of the jurors who said that it had indeed impacted how they viewed Ira Kleiman.
In her rejection yesterday however, Judge Bloom denied this was a factor:
…the jury was properly instructed that their decision must be based on the actual evidence presented and they must not be influenced by any sympathy or prejudice toward against any party.
Kleiman vs Wright Case Almost Completed
As we said at the time, the odds of a retrial based on this were always going to be slim and so it has proved, and in fact there will be relief all round that the trial, which was an intense, complex, and drawn out affair, will not be repeated.
The only matters needing to be resolved in this case now revolve around the pre- and post-judgement costs, which could run into the tens of millions, and other administrative matters. Wright is still in conflict with other individuals in the crypto space, including Peter McCormack, Hodlonaut, and a cabal of developers.
