A New Zealand Judge Dismisses Almost All of Kim Dotcoms Appeals Against Extradition
Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom's attempt to contest an extradition order to the United States hit a snag Friday, after a a New Zealand judge rejected seven of his eight grounds for appeal. Dotcom, born Kim Schmitz, is challenging a decision by New Zealand's high court, which in February granted the U.S. the right to extradite him over alleged money laundering and copyright infringements related to the now-defunct file sharing site he founded, Megaupload. His appeal is scheduled to be heard next February, the New Zealand Herald reports. But on Friday a high court justice said the only one of Dotcom's grounds for contesting the order  which include challenging the validity of police arrest warrants and New Zealand court orders  would stand. That challenge  which the U.S. has not contested  relates to authorities in New Zealand making clones of electronic devices in his home and then sending them to the U.S. Dotocom, an early internet millionaire, is notorious for his lavish lifestyle and political activism. He has been fighting extradition to the U.S. since 2012, according to the Herald.