Craig Wright has had his defense strategy labelled “insane” after he objected to sanctions placed upon him earlier this year. Wright formally objected to the decision by U.S. Magistrate Judge Bruce Reinhart to award the estate of his former business partner Dave Kleiman ₿500,000 in August, and Kleiman’s lawyers reacted to this objection with a series of scathing remarks, including citing an interview in which Wright described Judge Reinhart as a “silly judge”.
Wright “Blind to Reality”
Stephen Palley, a lawyer who has been following the case closely, revealed Wright’s request and Kleiman’s lawyers response through a Twitter thread which added more fuel to a fire that has been burning since February 2018:
Craig Wright objected to imposition of potentially case ending sanctions against him in the Kleiman case. Plaintiff now replies, in a blistering brief that details repeated alleged perjury and as a cherry on top an interview in which he called the judge a “silly judge.” pic.twitter.com/d24owzX1tX
— Palley (@stephendpalley) December 17, 2019
In a tone bordering on disbelief, Kleiman’s lawyers castigate Wright for his assertion that “there is absolutely no basis for imposing any sanctions”, which is based on his use of fraudulent documentation to back up his claim that his “testimony stands unrebutted by plaintiffs”:
…Craig is…a perjurer and a forger. Craig’s claim that his “testimony stands unrebutted by plaintiffs” is simply blind to reality.
Kleiman’s lawyers also chide Wright for showing no remorse over his actions, and that he “walked out of court into an interview where he admitted that he lied to the court.”
Wright Digs Himself a Deeper Hole
The conclusion to the letter, in which Kleiman’s lawyers unsurprisingly ask the court to uphold the sanctions, sees Wright called a “litigant that has no respect for the authority of the Court, or for the fair administration of justice”, adding that he was sanctioned “harshly, but fairly”.
In his thread, Palley argues that Wright’s actions will not have gone down well with the judge, and that he could “actually get sanctioned more”, stating that the judge will likely be “outraged” by the comments Wright made. He also has a neat summary for Wrights ‘argument’:
…the chutzpah of arguing that there was no basis for imposition of sanctions — it’s just an insane strategy, no chance of winning.
So not only could Wright have scuppered any chance of getting his sanctions lifted or reduced, he might, not for the first time, have allowed his belligerent personality get him into even more trouble. Ah well, what you gonna do?
