A couple from Washington DC can not access 3,000 ETH worth $5.8 million but Ethereum Foundation refuse to resolve
According to 7news, a couple from Washington DC, Yuki and Art Williams said they own 3,000 ETH, worth $5.8 million, but only see but not use.
Yuki and Art Williams
A couple can’t access $5.8M worth of 3,000 ETH because lack of JSON file
Yuki and Art Williams purchased 3,000 ETH in 2014 but were unable to open their crypto wallets due to the lack of an essential JSON file. However, the couple insists that when they purchased the property in 2014 during a pre-sale offered by the Ethereum Foundation, the JSON file was never downloaded. They used Coinbase and 1.5 BTC to make the purchase.
They got 3.000 ETH in their wallet and can see them but can’t open the wallet
“The instructions were to leave your computer on for an hour and a half and as the progression bar showed it populating the JSON file would appear. Unfortunately for us, it did not appear,” they claim a password was created but the very important JSON file which acts as a private key to open a crypto wallet never completely downloaded online.
Yuki then assumed that the Ethereum Foundation had promised to resolve the issue. They would send a wallet backup in an email that contained a backup JSON file. However, the family is still waiting.
In another attempt to access their funds, the couple emailed the Foundation based in Switzerland and handed over proof of purchase and screenshots of the issue. When the Foundation didn’t hand over a backup Json file the Williams hired a law firm in Switzerland.
William’s legal team said in this March 15th, 2018 email it was able to speak to the Foundation’s attorney who said they are trying to recover the JSON file. Two weeks the family’s attorney said the Foundation’s law firm stated they’re trying their best to recover the JSON file, but it takes time.
“Devastating, to say the least. Obviously, that’s life-changing money. All they have to do is send me that JSON file,” added Yuki Williams.
In a Swiss conciliation authority meeting, a settlement offer of 2,750 ether coins was discussed according to William’s attorney but it didn’t go anywhere.
Finally, the Foundation’s legal team stated, “We continue to believe that Ethereum has no liability for lost wallets, passwords, and private keys.”
Read more:
- Vitalik Buterin: Ethereum 2.0 Can Achieve 100,000 Transactions/Second
- Ethereum Co-Founder Selling The Firm, Leave Cryptocurrency Industry For Personal Safety