Stephens
Stephens v. DOE
Opinion
Trial Court Opinion
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA 6 P. BART STEPHENS, Case No. 23-cv-04183-JD
Plaintiff,
ORDER RE TEMPORARY
v. RESTRAINING ORDER AND
EXPEDITED DISCOVERY
JANE DOE,
Defendant.
12 Plaintiff P. Bart Stephens filed a complaint against defendants Jane Doe, et al., who are said to have “converted over $6.3 million worth of digital assets” stored in the blockchain. Dkt. No 1 ¶ 5. On the same day, he filed an ex parte application for a temporary restraining order (TRO), Dkt. No. 9, and an ex parte request to expedite third-party discovery, Dkt. No. 10. The Court held an ex parte hearing on August 21, 2023, and denied both motions without prejudice. Dkt. No. 20. The Court concluded that Stephens had not established a likelihood of “immediate and irreparable injury” for an alleged theft that had occurred more than 90 days earlier, see Fed. R. Civ. P. 65(b), and had not adequately demonstrated ownership of the disputed assets. See Dkt. No. 20. The discovery motion was denied…