Satoshi-Era Wallet Moves 75 BTC Amid $260B Lawsuit - Bitcoin Foundation

The transfer swept the legal-notice payment into the same transaction as the original coins, leaving the old address empty. This demonstrates that someone can still access the funds, though it doesn't identify the holder or confirm whether the lawsuit prompted the move.

The wallet sent its bitcoin to a new address, according to CoinDesk. The coins remained at that destination as of Friday evening. This movement challenges the legal argument that prolonged inactivity constitutes abandonment.

A plaintiff identified as Noah Doe and two Wyoming companies filed the lawsuit in New York, seeking ownership of bitcoin held across 39,069 addresses. They claim wallets dormant for at least five years contain lost property claimable under New York law.

Court Notification Method

On May 22, the address received 546 satoshis through a transaction carrying the message "COURT-ORDERED LEGAL NOTICE" and a link to the plaintiffs' notice page. This payment was worth less than 40 cents at recent prices.

The court authorized this method of notifying unidentified holders because their identities were unknown.

Thursday's transaction combined six inputs into one payment. It spent the original 75 BTC together with the 546-satoshi court notice and other small deposits accumulated at the address.

Legal Challenges

The case, described as a $260 billion Bitcoin lawsuit, targets roughly 3.8 million BTC. That larger pool includes coins attributed to Bitcoin creator Satoshi Nakamoto. The newly active wallet appears as defendant No. 3,419 in the amended complaint.

Another address listed in the lawsuit had already become active. In June, a wallet holding 35.55 BTC since 2011 spent 15 BTC and returned the remainder to itself as change.

The case faces a practical limit: a ruling for the plaintiffs would not give them the private keys required to spend the bitcoin. The complaint says a hired expert valued the "found wallets" at less than $10 because recovering their contents was uncertain.

Next Steps

For the newly active 75 BTC holding, the next development to watch is whether the coins move again from their destination. For the plaintiffs, obtaining a declaration of ownership and gaining access to the funds remain separate hurdles.

The original holding had stayed untouched since 2011. Thursday evening's transaction ended that dormancy, although the address had received small incoming payments in the meantime. One additional payment carried an owner notice dated July 2025 from Salomon Brothers Strategic Advisors, which the plaintiffs hired to contact wallet holders.