Kim Dotcom‘s Final Appeal to Block Extradition to US Fails
WELLINGTON,New Zealand - Kim Dotcom’s protracted legal battle to avoid extradition to the United States has suffered a final defeat in New Zealand. A High Court judge rejected his latest attempt to halt the deportation order, clearing the way for him to face copyright infringement charges related to his file-sharing website, Megaupload.The ruling, delivered by Justice grice, dismissed Dotcom’s claims that the police acted improperly by not extending a plea deal offered to two of his former business partners to him as well, and that Justice Minister Paul Goldsmith’s decision to authorize the extradition was politically motivated.
Dotcom and his associates were initially arrested in New Zealand in 2012 following a raid orchestrated by the FBI. For years, they contested the extradition efforts, challenging the legality of the investigation and arrests. In 2021, New Zealand’s Supreme Court ruled that Dotcom and two others – mathias Ortmann and Bram van der Kolk – were eligible for surrender.While Ortmann and van der Kolk later pleaded guilty to charges in a New Zealand court in June 2023, receiving sentences of two and a half years in jail in exchange for the US dropping its extradition pursuit, Dotcom continued to fight. A fourth Megaupload officer, Finn Batato, also had extradition proceedings against him abandoned and later died of cancer in Germany in 2022.
Justice Grice also resolute that Dotcom’s recent health issues, including a stroke suffered in November 2024, did not warrant halting the extradition. While acknowledging “notable health conditions,” the judge found that Minister Goldsmith had appropriately considered them and was justified in concluding they shouldn’t prevent deportation. Dotcom reported making “good progress” in his recovery from the stroke in July 2025, but continues to experience speech and memory impairments.Minister Goldsmith, who signed the extradition order in August 2024, stated on Thursday, “I am pleased my decision has been upheld.”
The case has drawn international attention, raising questions about internet freedom, copyright law, and the reach of US law enforcement. Dotcom maintains his innocence and has argued the prosecution is politically motivated.His legal options are now tired in New Zealand, though further appeals may be possible in the US legal system.
