Part of the CustodyStress archive of observed Bitcoin custody incidents
CS-01409
The exchange account held approximately $120,000 in Bitcoin.
SurvivesCase description
A 2025 case described by a California elder law attorney involved a 74-year-old Bitcoin exchange user whose cognitive decline had reached the point where they could no longer navigate the exchange's mobile interface. The exchange account held approximately $120,000 in Bitcoin. The holder had created a RUFADAA-compliant power of attorney designating their daughter as attorney-in-fact with explicit digital asset authority. Coinbase accepted the POA documentation and completed the transition of account access in approximately five weeks, allowing the daughter to manage the account on the holder's behalf while the holder remained alive.
Custody context
| Stress condition | Owner incapacity |
| Custody system | Exchange custody |
| Outcome | Survives |
| Documentation | Unknown |
| Year observed | 2025 |
| Country | United States |
Structural dependencies observed
Outcome interpretation
Access remained possible under the reported conditions.
Source
Privately Reported
Evidence type
News article
Related cases involving owner incapacity
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.