Newport Engineer Sues Council Over Bitcoin Drive

James Howells, a British IT engineer, has launched a lawsuit against Newport City Council seeking £495 million ($646 million) in damages after the council repeatedly denied him permission to excavate a landfill to recover a hard drive containing 8,000 bitcoins he accidentally discarded in 2013. Over the years, Howells has made numerous attempts to negotiate with the council, offering 10% of the recovered bitcoin's value and presenting a plan to excavate the site at no cost to the council. Despite his efforts and assembling a team, including environmental experts, the council has consistently refused his requests, citing environmental concerns. The case, which has gained international attention, is set to be heard in December. Howells claims that the landfill site already violates environmental regulations and argues that his proposed excavation would remediate the site. If successful, his recovered bitcoin would be worth over $500 million at current market values.