Dotcom then\u00a0petitioned<\/a>\u00a0the US Supreme Court to hear the case.<\/p>\n The crux of the case is whether or not the District Court\u2019s order to forfeit an estimated $67 million in assets was right. The defense held that Dotcom and the other Megaupload defendants were wrongfully labeled as fugitives by the Department of Justice, and wanted the ruling overturned.<\/p>\n The Supreme Court, however, decided not to hear the case,\u00a0it announced<\/a>. The news comes as a setback to Megaupload\u2019s legal team, who had hoped for a better outcome.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are disappointed in the US Supreme Court\u2019s denial of the Cert Petition \u2013 it is a bad day for due process and international treaties,\u201d Ira Rothken, Kim Dotcom\u2019s counsel, informs TorrentFreak.<\/p>\n \u201cKim Dotcom has never been to the United States, is presumed innocent, and is lawfully opposing extradition under the US \u2013 New Zealand Treaty \u2013 yet the US by merely labeling him as a fugitive gets a judgment to take all of his assets with no due process.\u201d<\/p>\n The Supreme Court\u2019s decision not to hear the case doesn\u2019t mean that the assets are all lost. Many of the funds are located abroad in New Zealand and Hong Kong, and the defense will now focus its efforts on these jurisdictions.<\/p>\n \u201cThe New Zealand and Hong Kong courts, who have authority over the assets, will now need to weigh in on this issue and we are cautiously optimistic that they will take a dim view of the Fugitive Disentitlement Doctrine and oppose US efforts to seize such assets,\u201d Rothken says.<\/p>\n The actions of the US Department of Justice violate the prohibition against double jeopardy in the US \u2013 New Zealand extradition process, Dotcom\u2019s legal team argues.<\/p>\n With the assets forfeiture, the Megaupload defendants have now been punished for the copyright infringement allegations in the indictment. On top of this they risk a possible extradition to face a second punishment in the US, which places the defendants in double jeopardy, Rothken explains.<\/p>\n So, while the legal options in the United States have run out, the seized assets battle is far from over.<\/p>\n Source: \u00a0![\"TorrentFreak\"](\"http:\/\/worldjusticenews.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/torrentfreak.png\")
<\/a> TorrentFreak.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"