DLA Piper secures US$51.5 million arbitration award for HBTPower in bitcoin mining dispute

DLA Piper secured a US$51.5 million JAMS arbitration award for HBTPower Limited in a dispute with Mohawk Energy LLC related to investments made by HBTPower to develop a Bitcoin mining facility in eastern Kentucky. To support the project, which promised to be a major economic catalyst for the region, HBTPower invested more than US$14 million in the project and shipped more than 4,000 mining machines to the site before being ejected from the site by Mohawk.

The JAMS arbitrator found Mohawk liable for breach of its License Agreement with HBTPower and rejected all of Mohawk’s affirmative defenses and counterclaims. The award includes compensatory damages, conversion damages, prejudgment interest, attorneys’ fees, and costs. HBTPower, as part of the ruling, retains ownership of its Bitcoin mining machines and electrical equipment. The arbitrator also recommended that the US District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky convert its existing preliminary injunction into a permanent injunction to protect HBTPower’s property rights.

On May 11, 2026, DLA Piper filed a petition to confirm the award before the US District Court for the Western District of Kentucky, seeking confirmation of the award, entry of a permanent injunction, and possession of HBTPower’s property on the Mohawk mining site.

The result underscores the strength of the firm’s international arbitration practice, its work helping clients protect critical business assets in complex disputes, and its deep experience in all phases of the digital asset sector.

The DLA Piper team was led by Of Counsel Harout Samra (Miami) and included Associates Noorvik Minasian and Makayla Rabago (both Los Angeles).