Developers In Court: Samourai Wallet Pre-Trial Hearing
The legal proceedings in the United States’ case against the Samourai Wallet developers continued today with their fourth pre-trial hearing, held in the Southern District of New York.
For the second time since their previous status conference on September 17, 2024, the two developers, Keonne Rodriguez and William Lonergan Hill, appeared together in public.
Those following the case may note that today’s hearing was the quickest and contained the least amount of substantial discussion compared to the previous three pre-trial hearings.
Pre-Trial Motion Schedule
During the hearing, both the prosecution and defense teams came together to finalize and agree on the schedule for pre-trial motions, which will proceed as follows:
- May 9, 2025 — Deadline for the opening motion
- June 6, 2025 — Prosecution to respond to the opening motion
- June 20, 2025 — Deadline for replies to the prosecution’s response
Expert Disclosure
Looking ahead, the prosecution is set to provide their expert disclosure by July 15, 2025. The defense is then expected to follow with their expert disclosure by August 8, 2025.
Furthermore, there’s a possibility for further discussion around expert disclosures at the next in-person pre-trial hearing, scheduled for July 16, 2025, at 10:00 AM EST.
Hill To Remain In Lisbon
An interesting point arose when Hill’s attorney asked Judge Richard Berman, the judge overseeing the case, about the possibility of Hill not needing to attend all future pre-trial hearings in person. The reason being, Hill currently resides in Lisbon, Portugal, with his wife, and the trips back and forth to New York City are proving to be quite costly.
The attorney also mentioned that pre-trial services were “supportive” of this request, suggesting they saw no issue with it.
Judge Berman indicated that he was agreeable to this arrangement, signaling it likely won’t be a problem.
Rodriguez Expresses Gratitude
After the hearing concluded, Rodriguez shared a message with Bitcoin Magazine, expressing his sincere gratitude to everyone who has contributed to the Peer-to-Peer Rights Fund. This fund is playing a crucial role in supporting the developers’ legal defense.
For those who are interested, donations to support their legal battle are still welcome.
Trial Start Date
Finally, and importantly, the trial itself is currently scheduled to commence on November 3, 2025.
