The Iowa Supreme Court has ruled in favor of Bitcoin ATM operator Bitcoin Depot, determining that the funds paid into its ATMs during scams should be returned to the company, not the victims. This decision overturned a lower court ruling ordering $28,000 in cash to be returned to the scam victims involved in incidents from 2023 and 2024. Victims had been coerced into transferring money via the ATM, which the court noted was done under contractual terms that included warnings about scams. One victim argued that the contract was void due to duress, a claim rejected by the court, which asserted that Bitcoin Depot had no way to know about the duress. The case underscores the ongoing legal complexities surrounding cryptocurrency transactions and the responsibilities of operators in mitigating fraud.

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