Part of the CustodyStress archive of observed Bitcoin custody incidents
CS-00189
Active escrows were frozen pending a legal challenge to the acquisition.
SurvivesCase description
A Bitcoin payment escrow service that used 2-of-3 multisig discovered in April 2015 that its third-party key custodian had been acquired by another company. The acquiring company did not honour the key custody agreement and refused to sign transactions. Active escrows were frozen pending a legal challenge to the acquisition.
Custody context
| Stress condition | Multisig quorum failure |
| Custody system | Exchange custody |
| Outcome | Survives |
| Documentation | Unknown |
| Year observed | 2015 |
| Country | Unknown |
Structural dependencies observed
Outcome interpretation
Access remained possible under the reported conditions.
Source
Publicly Reported
Evidence type
Forum post
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This archive documents observed custody survivability failures. It does not attempt to document all Bitcoin losses or security incidents.
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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.