BTC Claim Lookup

Look Up Your Wallet

Enter your Bitcoin wallet address to check if it appears in the court filing. This search runs entirely against the 39,069 addresses listed in Exhibit 1 of the complaint.

What Is This Case?

On May 1, 2026, a pseudonymous plaintiff ("Noah Doe") filed a lawsuit in the Supreme Court of the State of New York (Index No. 153119/2026) seeking a declaratory judgment that he owns 39,069 dormant Bitcoin wallet addresses.

The plaintiff claims he discovered a security vulnerability in October 2024 that caused wallet owners to permanently lose the ability to withdraw funds. Using a proprietary algorithm, he identified wallets that were dormant for at least 5 years, self-custodied (not on an exchange), and unresponsive through multiple BTC price surges.

He reported them to the NYPD as lost property, sent on-chain OP_RETURN notices in June 2025, issued a global press release in August 2025, and gave holders until October 10, 2025 to claim ownership. He now asserts that title vested in him under New York Personal Property Law Article 7-B (finder's rights to abandoned property).

The listed wallets reportedly hold approximately 3.79 million BTC (roughly $285 billion at current prices), including early miner-era wallets and addresses attributed to Satoshi Nakamoto.

Key Details

Known Procedural Weaknesses

• Wrong address format for notices: The OP_RETURN notices were sent to P2PKH addresses, but many early Bitcoin wallets (including Satoshi-era wallets) use P2PK scripts. Those wallet owners may never have received proper notice.
• Enforcement is theoretical: Even if the court grants the declaratory judgment, Bitcoin's cryptographic design means no one can move the funds without the private keys. A court order cannot transfer BTC.
• Questionable "abandonment" standard: Dormancy does not mean abandonment. Many holders are long-term holders by choice, have lost temporary access, or are deceased with heirs who hold rights.

What To Do If Your Wallet Is Listed

If your Bitcoin address appears in this lawsuit, you are named as a defendant (one of the "John Does"). The plaintiff is asking a court to declare that he owns your wallet and its contents. Here is what you can do.

1. Don't Panic

The court cannot move your Bitcoin. Only someone with your private key can do that. This lawsuit seeks a declaratory judgment (a legal statement of ownership), not a transfer of funds. Your BTC is safe as long as you control your keys.

2. Prove You Own the Wallet

The strongest way to prove Bitcoin ownership is to sign a message with your wallet's private key. This is a cryptographic proof that only the true owner can produce. Most Bitcoin wallet software supports message signing.

You do not need to move funds or send any BTC to prove ownership.

3. File a Response with the Court

You can contest this lawsuit by filing an Answer or Notice of Appearance with the court. You can do this:

• Through an attorney (recommended for large holdings)
• Pro se (representing yourself) using the template below

4. You Can File Pseudonymously

The plaintiff himself files as "Noah Doe." Courts routinely allow pseudonymous filings in cases involving financial privacy and digital assets. You can file as "John Doe #[your number]" using the number from Exhibit 1 (shown in your search result above).

This means you do not need to reveal your real identity to the plaintiff or the public. Your attorney (if you use one) would know your identity, but it would be protected by attorney-client privilege.

5. Contact the Plaintiff's Attorneys

The court filing designates this email for defendant communications:

digitalwalletslitigation@ilawco.com

You can also write to: Lewis & Lin LLC, 77 Sands Street, 6th Floor, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Template: Pro Se Notice of Appearance

Below is a template you can adapt to file a Notice of Appearance with the court, establishing that you are contesting this lawsuit. This is not legal advice. Consider consulting an attorney, especially for significant holdings.

To use this template: search for your wallet above, note your John Doe number, and fill in the bracketed fields.

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
COUNTY OF NEW YORK

ABC COMPANY, XYZ COMPANY, and NOAH DOE,
                                    Plaintiffs,
    v.                                              Index No. 153119/2026

JOHN DOES 1 - 39,069,
                                    Defendants.

NOTICE OF APPEARANCE AND ANSWER OF JOHN DOE #[YOUR NUMBER]

TO THE SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK:

    John Doe #[YOUR NUMBER], appearing pro se and pseudonymously
to protect financial privacy, hereby enters an appearance in
this action and answers the complaint as follows:

    1. I am the owner and holder of the private key associated
with Bitcoin address [YOUR BTC ADDRESS], designated as
"John Doe #[YOUR NUMBER]" in Exhibit 1 of Plaintiffs' First
Amended Complaint.

    2. I deny that the above-referenced digital wallet has been
abandoned. I have maintained continuous constructive possession
of this wallet and its contents through exclusive control of
the associated private key.

    3. I deny that Plaintiffs have any right, title, or interest
in the above-referenced wallet or its contents.

    4. I deny that my wallet meets the legal standard for
abandoned property under New York Personal Property Law
Article 7-B. Dormancy or inactivity of a digital wallet does
not constitute abandonment where the owner retains the ability
to transact at will through possession of the private key.

    5. I request that the Court dismiss Plaintiffs' claims as
they pertain to John Doe #[YOUR NUMBER] and the associated
wallet address.

PROOF OF OWNERSHIP

    To establish my ownership of the above wallet, I have
produced a cryptographic signature using the private key
associated with the wallet address. This signature, which
can be independently verified by any Bitcoin node, is
attached hereto as Exhibit A.

    Signed message: "I, the owner of Bitcoin address
    [YOUR BTC ADDRESS], contest the claims made in
    ABC Company et al. v. John Does 1-39,069,
    Index No. 153119/2026. Date: [DATE]"

    Signature: [YOUR CRYPTOGRAPHIC SIGNATURE]

Dated: [DATE]
[CITY, STATE]

                                    Respectfully submitted,

                                    _________________________
                                    John Doe #[YOUR NUMBER]
                                    (Pro Se, filing pseudonymously)

FILING INSTRUCTIONS:
- File via NYSCEF (New York State Courts Electronic Filing)
  at https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/Login
- Serve a copy on Plaintiff's counsel:
  Lewis & Lin LLC
  77 Sands Street, 6th Floor
  Brooklyn, NY 11201
  Email: digitalwalletslitigation@ilawco.com

How To Sign a Message with Your Bitcoin Wallet

Signing a message with your private key proves you own the wallet without moving any funds. Here is how to do it in common wallet software.

Bitcoin Core

1. Open Bitcoin Core and go to File > Sign Message
2. Enter your Bitcoin address in the "Bitcoin Address" field
3. Enter the message text (use the text from the template above)
4. Click "Sign Message"
5. Copy the signature output

Electrum

1. Open Electrum and go to Tools > Sign/verify message
2. Enter your address and the message
3. Click "Sign" and enter your password if prompted
4. Copy the signature

Hardware Wallets (Ledger, Trezor)

1. Connect your hardware wallet
2. Use the companion software (Ledger Live, Trezor Suite) or Electrum with the hardware wallet plugin
3. Navigate to the message signing feature
4. Confirm on the device

Important Notes

• Message signing uses your private key but does not broadcast a transaction. No funds are moved.
• Anyone can verify your signature using only your public address and the signed message. They do not need your private key.
• P2PK (early format) addresses may require Bitcoin Core for signing. Not all wallets support signing for every address type.
• Never share your private key, seed phrase, or wallet password with anyone. Message signing does not require sharing these. If any service asks for your private key, it is a scam.