Litigation Communications: Kleiman v Wright, the $66B "Bitcoin Trial of the Century"

Bitcoin creator Dr. Craig S. Wright is an Australian computer scientist, businessman, and inventor who challenges the world with visionary ideas. Wright prevailed in Kleiman v Wright, a Miami civil case dubbed the Bitcoin “Trial of the Century” that pitted him against the family of his late business partner and computer forensics expert, David Kleiman. At the center of the trial were 1.1 million Bitcoin, worth approximately $50 billion based on prices at the time. These were among the first Bitcoin to be created through mining and could only be owned by a person or entity involved with the digital currency from its beginning — such as Bitcoin’s creator, Satoshi Nakamoto.

Work Type: Strategic Communications

As the lead on this account, Hughes managed all communications aspects of litigation communications support for defendant Dr. Craig Wright in the case of Kleiman v Wright.

• Leading strategy meetings between the stakeholders and law firm representing Dr. Wright

• Developing holding statements for potential trial outcomes and developments

• Creating and distributing fact sheets and 1-pagers, and daily recap summaries to journalists and producers covering the case to ensure they have all the information they need to accurately represent our point of view in their coverage

• Arranging pre-trial and follow-up on-background calls between mainstream and trade reporters and the lawyers directly involved with the case to set the stage and provide our side’s point of view at the start of the trial and during significant developments throughout

• Serving as the on-site press contact at the federal courthouse in Miami to manage our client and any and all media present looking for our side’s perspective as developments in the case occur

• Managing all proactive media outreach and necessary corrections of incorrect information in coverage throughout the case