Part of the CustodyStress archive of observed Bitcoin custody incidents
CS-00407
Institutional lockout — Coinbase (2017)
SurvivesCase description
The IRS won a court case in November 2017 requiring Coinbase to turn over records of 14,355 customers who had transacted more than $20,000 in any single year. Coinbase placed compliance holds on accounts of customers it identified as potentially responsive to the summons. Affected customers found their accounts restricted pending the legal outcome.
Custody context
| Stress condition | Vendor lockout |
| Custody system | Exchange custody |
| Outcome | Survives |
| Documentation | Unknown |
| Year observed | 2017 |
| Country | United States |
Structural dependencies observed
Outcome interpretation
Access remained possible under the reported conditions.
Source
Publicly Reported
Evidence type
News article
Evidence link
Related cases involving vendor lockout
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.
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