Craig Wright vs Hodlonaut trial goes scheduled for round 2 Craig Wright vs Hodlonaut trial goes scheduled for round 2
The Norwegian court accepted Wright’s appeal asking for a re-run.
2 min read
Updated: Aug. 17, 2023 at 2:19 am UTC
Cover art/illustration via CryptoSlate. Image includes combined content which may include AI-generated content.
Crypto influencer Hodlonaut announced that the Norwegian court had accepted Craig Steven Wright’s (CSW) appeal calling for a new trial.
The new trial will be a complete rehearing, not just a re-visit of the final decision. Unfortunately, Hodlonaut didn’t disclose a date for this trial.
CSW vs. crypto influencers
CSW started to claim that he was the mysterious Bitcoin (BTC)founder, Satoshi Nakamoto, in 2015. The Crypto community reacted to these claims harshly and accused CSW of lying and trying to piggyback on Satoshi’s legacy.
Crypto influencer Hodlonaut and crypto podcaster Peter McCormack was among the ones who rejected CSW’s claims. CSW responded to them by filing a defamation suit for each. He argued that both Hodlonaut and McCormack motivated the crypto community into rejecting CSW’s claim and therefore impaired his reputation. CSW asked to be compensated for the damages dealt to his name.
Final decisions on the trials
CSW’s trial against Hodlonaut occurred between Sept. 12 and Sept. 20. The final verdict decided in favor of Hodlonaut and said that CSW had lied in his claims to be Satoshi. However, On Dec. 14, CSW appealed his loss and asked for a new trial, which got accepted on Dec. 23.
On the other hand, McCormack’s legal battle against CSW took place on Dec. 12. At the end of the trial, the Judge hinted that he agreed with CSW regarding the damages to his reputation.
However, the Judge also said McCormack was correct to reject CSW’s claims since he was dishonest with his Satoshi claims. Therefore, the Judge ruled that McCormack paid a sum of £1 in compensation for the nominal damages CSW took on his reputation.
The next day, on Dec.21, the court announced its final decision officially, where they stuck with the £1 fee but also ruled that McCormack would pay up to £900,000 to CSW’s defense. Norwegian court’s decision to accept CSW’s appeal regarding the judgment against the trial in the Hodlonaut case came two days after the McCormack hearing was finalized.
Despite both judges ruling that CSW was lying when claiming to be Satoshi, CSW continues to do so.
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Zeynep Geylan
Zeynep is an academic who turned to crypto in 2018. Originating in social sciences, she is especially interested in the social impact of blockchain and cryptocurrencies and strongly believes in their transmuting power.
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Craig Steven Wright, commonly referred to as CSW, is an Australian computer scientist and business professional who has been at the center of controversy within the cryptocurrency community.
Hailing from the United Kingdom, Peter McCormack stands out as a preeminent figure in the cryptocurrency podcasting realm.