$BTC A New York judge has paused a lawsuit seeking ownership of 39,069 dormant Bitcoin wallets and blocked any move toward a default judgment before a July hearing.

The complaint argues that abandoned property laws could apply to self-custodial Bitcoin wallets, including addresses linked to Satoshi-era holdings and the Mt. Gox hack.

An attorney seeking to appear as amicus curiae has challenged the plaintiffs’ legal theory, setting up a debate over whether dormant blockchain assets can be claimed under existing New York law.