Estate access failure — hardware wallet (2025)

Constrained

Case description

A 2025 US Senate Banking Committee inquiry into cryptocurrency estate planning highlighted that despite more than 40 US states having adopted the Revised Uniform Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act (RUFADAA) since 2015, enforcement and practical implementation remained inconsistent. Multiple court cases in 2025 involved disputes where executors had RUFADAA-based authority to access exchange accounts but exchanges refused to honour the legal authority without obtaining specific court orders that went beyond what RUFADAA required. The gap between statutory authority and institutional compliance created recurring access delays for estates.

Custody context

Stress condition	Legal or authority constraint
Custody system	Hardware wallet (single key)
Outcome	Constrained
Documentation	Unknown
Year observed	2025
Country	United States

Structural dependencies observed

Legal process required

What this illustrates

Before anyone could access the funds, a legal process had to be completed first. Whether full access was ultimately possible is unclear, but significant delay or outside intervention was involved.

Outcome interpretation

Access remained possible, but only with delay, dependence, or significant difficulty.

Source

Publicly Reported

Evidence type

News article

Evidence link

https://www.wealthmanagement.com/estate-planning/bitcoin-after-death-2025-estate-guide

Related cases involving legal or authority constraint

39 cases involve legal or authority constraint 274 cases involve hardware wallet (single key) View archive statistics →

This archive documents observed custody survivability failures. It does not attempt to document all Bitcoin losses or security incidents. Submit a case

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Framework references

Where Bitcoin Custody Intersects Legal and Fiduciary Authority

Where custody creates gaps in estate planning, fiduciary duty, and professional responsibility.

Professional Scope Boundary Matrix

What each professional or product covers, what they do not, and where gaps form between them.

The Independent Assessment Layer in Bitcoin Custody

How independent diagnostic layers emerge when multiple parties depend on shared infrastructure.