The Honourable Justice Glustein signed the Flight PS752 Class Action certification order for the class action arising from the downing of UIA Flight PS752. On January 8, 2020, UIA Flight PS752 was shot down moments after takeoff from Iran on its way to Canada via Ukraine. There were no survivors.
Is an existential threat to the legal world looming? A survey of over 1,000 GC’s suggests that many of them fear the future promises smaller budgets, heavier workloads, and more pronounced risk for in-house legal teams. For many businesses, litigation funding can be a vital part of the solution.
The aftermath of Wirecard’s insolvency has grown even more complicated since the payment company liquidated with nearly $2 billion in the red. Over 20,000 people impacted by the Wirecard collapse plan to sue the company. The plaintiffs are backed by litigation funder, Litfin.
Boies Schiller Flexner (UK) LLP (“BSF“) is building a group of investors across Europe and Asia who invested in Credit Suisse’s US$10bn Supply Chain Finance Funds (“SCFFs“). It is intended that the group will pursue Credit Suisse, including through litigation if necessary, to recover losses suffered with respect to the investments made in or with Greensill Capital.
Third-party litigation funding has grown significantly in recent years. This relatively new industry got its start during the last financial crisis, and has expanded and adapted to meet the needs of lawyers, plaintiffs, and businesses during COVID. The practice has its share of detractors, but overall it’s viewed by courts as a net gain for the community, as it increases access to justice for those who could not otherwise afford it.
Augusta Ventures, a specialist asset manager focussed on the litigation and dispute funding sector, has closed its third pool of funding with £250m of new commitments (including Augusta Ventures co-investment), bringing the firm’s AuM to £585m and enabling the firm to fund an unprecedented pipeline of opportunities in high value litigation and dispute scenarios.
Patent monetization is a rapidly growing alternative asset class. Fund managers, private equity firms, and hedge funds are all looking toward patents and patent portfolios as key non-correlated investments. The largest patent-focused fund currently active in the industry belongs to Fortress—with $900 million under management and a further $400 million in IP Fund 2.
Is crowdfunding a good way to finance a case against the FSCS? That’s what LCF bondholders are asking themselves as they look for ways to fund an appeal. Four LCF bondholders are representing the rest of the investors in the class. After the High Court ruled against them, they received permission to take their case to the Court of Appeal.
For investors, duration is both extremely important and commonly underestimated. Assessing how long it may take for a case to go from filing to conclusion to payout is essential when considering funding any litigation. It can take two or more years for a case to reach completion—and even then, there is no guarantee of a speedy payout.
After the United States, Australia leads the world in climate-related litigation. Some companies, like Rio Tinto, are making climate resolutions of their own. Many other ASX-listed companies are doing likewise—knowing that disclosures relating to climate impact may be coming sooner rather than later.
As the use of litigation funding grows more mainstream, accusations that the industry is opportunistic, greedy, and suspiciously secretive abound. Some have suggested that litigation funding will lead to a glut of frivolous cases and clogged court dockets, and therefore increased regulation is necessary.
Validity Finance is pleased to welcome Harvard law students Marlon Becerra and Shao-Jia Chang for its 2021 Equal Access Fellowship. The program, in its third year, provides a 10-week paid summer fellowship to first-year law students of diverse backgrounds.
Can failure to provide security for costs derail an otherwise meritorious case? It appears that’s what happened in a New Zealand-based collective action against Feltex Carpets. The case was funded, but stopped abruptly when funders failed to provide security for costs. Why did that happen?
Contingency arrangements are often used by federal equity receivers when financial constraints keep them from pursuing litigation against fraudsters. These arrangements can shave off a sizable portion of the expected recovery—up to 50% in some cases.
Leading litigation funder Validity Finance has selected Harvard law students Marlon Becerra and Shao-Jia Chang for its 2021 Equal Access Fellowship. The program, in its third year, provides a 10-week paid summer fellowship to first-year law students of diverse backgrounds.
Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) assigns a preliminary rating to one class of notes from TVEST 2021A, LLC, an asset-backed securities (ABS) transaction collateralized by litigation finance and medical receivables serviced by Experity Ventures LLC (“Experity”).
Delta Capital Partners Management LLC, a global private equity firm specializing in litigation and legal finance, is pleased to announce the launch of a new venture, Delta Defense Solutions (“DDS“).
At present, the United States has about 40 litigation funding entities actively funding cases. Assets under management are estimated to be close to $10 billion. In the bankruptcy arena, some say legal funding isn’t growing. But there are two recent appeals court decisions that may change that.
It was big news last year when Ava Labs debuted an ILO or Initial Litigation Offering. The ILO was released through the open-source platform Avalanche. Without going into minute details, Avalanche provides the ability to connect existing blockchain platforms into a single ecosystem in which digitized assets can be bought, sold, or traded.
On Tuesday, June 15th, 6pm EST, Litigation Finance Journal is hosting a roundtable discussion on the evolution of Litigation Finance in Australia. Topics will include the increasing threat of industry regulation, the Joint Parliamentary Committee’s perspective on litigation funding and class actions, how Australia may serve as a blueprint of sorts for global jurisdictions including the US, UK and EU, and the structural and cultural differences inherent to running a litigation funding firm in Australia.
