Mustang Litigation Funding of Wayzata, Minnesota; Mustang Specialty Funding I and II; James “Jimmy” Beltz, and Kevin Cavanaugh Remove Legal Bay Lawsuit to New Jersey Federal Court

Mustang Litigation Funding of Wayzata, Minnesota; Mustang Specialty Funding I and II; James “Jimmy” Beltz, and Kevin Cavanaugh Remove Legal Bay Lawsuit to New Jersey Federal Court

Legal Bay, The Lawsuit Settlement Funding Company, announced today that on June 15, 2022, its recent New Jersey State Court lawsuit filing against Mustang Legal Funding and its principals has been removed to the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, Newark Vicinage, by the Mustang Entities, James Beltz, and Kevin Cavanaugh. The case now bears the following docket name: Legal Bay LLC v. Mustang Funding LLC, et al., No. 22-cv-3941 (ES) (JBC). The matter has been assigned to District Judge Esther Salas and Magistrate Judge James B. Clark, III. Previously, Legal Bay had notified its business contacts of the suit’s filing, but had not made any public statements. With the removal of Legal-Bay’s action to Federal Court, Legal Bay believes that the time is now appropriate to disseminate a notice to the ligation funding industry about its lawsuit and its importance to the industry’s direction and commercial standards. Chris Janish, CEO of Legal Bay, commented, “Our complaint against the Mustang entities and their principals is a public record at this point, and we will let the legal process play out in Federal Court. Legal Bay’s purpose in pursuing this matter is not only to protect its own interests from the Mustang defendants’ misconduct, but to send a message that their documented, abhorrent behavior is not limited to the Mustang defendants, but commonplace in the litigation and pre-settlement funding industry. These issues will hopefully, at long last, be formally addressed by Legal Bay’s lawsuit.” Legal Bay has asked the court to dissolve its joint venture with the Mustang entities and is asserting other equitable and legal claims against the Mustang defendants. Legal Bay has reason to believe that, in addition to the equitable relief it is entitled to, its monetary damages are substantial. The exact amount of those damages is not yet fully calculable, but will be determined in due course during the litigation. Janish added: “While we had hoped to avoid the need for a lawsuit, our hands were tied by Mustang’s continuing misconduct. Legal Bay looks forward to continuing their work with the industry’s leaders and regulators in order to find better ways to protect members engaged in formal business relationships from deceptive and anti-competitive business practices in the industry, as well as initiatives for better disclosures to consumers where previous legislation has fallen short.” Legal Bay is represented by Fox Rothschild LLP within its Morristown, New Jersey office, and Timothy P. Kebbe, Esq. of Hawthorne, New York. Mustang and the other defendants are represented by Kasowitz, Benson, Torres, & Friedman LLP, of Manhattan.
Secure Your Funding Sidebar

Announcements

View All

New North Litigation Capital Launches, Backed by £50 Million in Senior Secured Financing from Pollen Street Capital

By John Freund |

Pollen Street Capital ("Pollen Street") today announces a new senior secured credit facility of up to £50 million to New North Litigation Capital (“New North”). New North is a commercial litigation finance company and a direct subsidiary of Capital Law, a Cardiff based law firm founded in 2006.

Capital Law has a strong track record in commercial litigation, having closed over 400 claimant cases since 2001 with a 95% win rate. Drawing on its senior leadership and experienced disputes team, Capital Law launched New North to address the underserved small to mid-market segment of commercial litigation market. 

New North will be the only litigation financier in the UK owned and operated by practicing lawyers, bringing their day to day lived experience of handling mid-market litigation into pricing the risk and the funding investment decisions.

Christopher Nott, Founder and CEO of New North commented: “We are pleased to work with Pollen Street on this financing to launch New North Litigation Capital. The funding supports us to bridge a critical gap by funding claims that are often deemed too small by other players in the market. We are excited to work with the Pollen Street team as we create this new kind of litigation funding.”

Connor Marshall-Mckie, Investment Director at Pollen Street, commented:New North addresses an important gap in the litigation funding space, focusing on smaller mid-market commercial litigation. With the significant opportunity available and the deep experience of the leadership team from Capital Law we are excited to partner with the team to support their growth.”

About Pollen Street

Pollen Street is a fast-growing and high-performing private capital asset manager. Established in 2013, the firm has built deep capability across the real estate, financial and business services sectors aligned with mega-trends shaping the future of the industry. Pollen Street manages over €7bn AUM across private equity and credit strategies on behalf of investors including leading public and corporate pension funds, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations, asset managers, banks, and family offices from around the world. Pollen Street has a team of over 95 professionals.

Burford’s Q2 Profits Surge on New Capital

By John Freund |

Burford Capital has delivered its strongest quarterly performance in two years, buoyed by a swelling pipeline of high-value disputes and a fresh infusion of investor cash.

A press release in PR Newswire reveals that the New York- and London-listed funder more than doubled revenue and profitability in the three months to 30 June 2025. CEO Christopher Bogart credited “very substantial levels of new business” for the uptick, noting that demand for non-recourse financing remains “as strong as we’ve ever seen.”

The stellar quarter follows a lightning-quick, two-day debt offering in July that raised $500 million—capital Burford says will be deployed across a growing roster of commercial litigations, international arbitrations, and asset-recovery campaigns. Management also highlighted significant progress in portfolio rotations, underscoring the firm’s ability to monetise older positions while writing new ones at scale. Investors will get a deeper dive when Burford hosts its earnings call today at 9 a.m. EDT.

Burford’s results arrive amid heightened regulatory chatter in Washington and Westminster, yet the numbers suggest the industry’s largest player is unfazed—for now—by talk of disclosure mandates and tax levies. The firm emphasised that its legal-finance, risk-management and asset-recovery businesses remain uncorrelated to broader markets, a pitch that continues to resonate with pension funds and endowments hunting for alternative yield.

For litigation-finance insiders, Burford’s capital-raising prowess and improving margins could have ripple effects: rival funders may face stiffer competition for marquee cases, while law-firm partners might leverage the firm’s deeper pockets to negotiate richer portfolio deals.

International Legal Finance Association (ILFA) Announces End of Year Gala and Inaugural Legal Finance Awards

By John Freund |

 The International Legal Finance Association is pleased to announce its annual End-of-Year Gala Dinner on November 13, 2025.  The event will take place at The Law Society in London, bringing together leading figures from across the legal finance industry for an evening of celebration and reflection on the year’s achievements.  

The dinner will be accompanied by the inaugural Legal Finance Awards.  The awards are designed to recognize and honor excellence across the legal finance ecosystem. They will spotlight the achievements of funders, law firms, brokers, advisors, and other key contributors to the continued growth and innovation of the industry. Nominations for the awards are now open, with the nomination form available here

“The Gala Dinner is a chance for our members and guests to gather in person and celebrate the progress we've made over the year,” said Rupert Cunningham, Global Director of Growth and Membership Engagement at ILFA. “We are especially excited to launch the Legal Finance Awards, which will shine a light on the outstanding work and impact of professionals across our field.”

Tickets for the Gala are on sale now, with discounted pricing available for ILFA members.  More information can be found here.