The lawyer of Hodlonaut explained the lack of connection between Wright and Bitcoin, as some tweets disagreed with Nakamoto. Wright started the legal battle following the initial tweets claiming him as a fraud by asking Granath to remove them and apologize to him.
Norwegian crypto influencer Magnus Granath, also known as Hodlonaut, and self-proclaimed Bitcoin inventor Craig Wright recently met in a Norwegian court.
In 2019, Hodlonaut tweeted that Wright was a fraud, saying he could not be Satoshi Nakamoto. The former is now the plaintiff in the court case to decide whether his free speech claims stand up under Norwegian law.
Ørjan Salvesen Haukaas, the lawyer of Hodlonaut, made opening statements before Judge Helen Engebrigtsen. He explained the lack of connection between Wright and Bitcoin while showing documents from previous legal battles. The attorney of Granath also pointed to some tweets that disagreed with Nakamoto.
Marie Bjørk Myklebust, another lawyer in the Granath legal team, also proved that similar tweets existed before 2019. She noted that she could not have started with the tweets of Granath if Wright had suffered reputational damage.
Wright has struggled to silence those who refute his claim to the Bitcoin throne, including podcaster Peter McCormack. A judge ruled that the comments from McCormack affected Wright significantly. However, he awarded Wright only GBP 1 as compensation for knowingly bringing a false case.
How the Legal Battle between them Started
The cryptocurrency community has supported Granath since Wright started the legal battle following the tweets claiming him as a fraud.
Wright responded to the initial tweets by Hodlonaut by sending lawyers to ask him to remove them, apologize, and tell the court he was Nakamoto.
After seeking legal advice, Hodlonaut filed a lawsuit against Wright in Norway, claiming freedom of speech. Wright brought a libel suit against Hodlonaut in the UK as he failed to request early termination of the proceedings in Norway.
Following a lengthy legal process, a court ruled that Hodlonaut had to pay Wright GBP 112,000 in adverse costs. In those cases, the plaintiff must pay the counterparty regarding legal proceedings, which may include fees, expenses, and compensation.
Despite the efforts of Wright to dismiss the proceedings, the Norwegian trial could proceed. The court would start hearing testimony from his nine lawyers.
The Supporters of Hodlonaut Are Not Optimistic about His Victory
The controversial track record of Wright causes bitcoiners to seek cover for fear of being on his list. Bitcoin developer Greg Maxwell said that at least four veteran developers have left.
Since Wright does not have much to lose, Maxwell is not optimistic about the victory of Granath.
Despite raising USD 1.5, the supporters of Hodlonaut also doubt that a win will make Wright stop.
Meanwhile, Bitcoin is trading at around USD 22,584 and has racked up 1.3% gains in the last 24 hours. While its daily trading volume is over USD 41.99 billion, its market capitalization is roughly USD 432.48 billion, according to CoinGecko.
By Alexander Salazar
