Seth Lovis, former managing director of Seth Lovis & Co, has been struck after admitting to failing to meet his obligations to various lenders. An investigation by the SRA determined that the personal injury lawyer accepted funding from multiple lenders for the same case more than a dozen times.
The following piece was contributed by Eric Schuller, President of the Alliance for Responsible Consumer Legal Funding (ARC).
Consumer Legal Funding is when a company provides funds to a consumer who has a pending legal claim, typically a car accident, while their case is making its way through the legal system. The funds are used for household needs such as mortgage, rent, car payments, keeping the light on and putting food on the table. The funds are not used to pay for legal fees associated with the claim or case.
As litigation funding expands and adapts to the needs of consumers, it is becoming known by an increasing array of names: lawsuit loans, car accident loans, pre-settlement funding, etc. That’s because third-party funders are always developing new ways for non-recourse legal funding to help those in need.
A newly formed SPAC (special purpose acquisitions corporation) unveiled a plan to take MSP Recovery public. Lionheart Acquisition Corp II is valuing MSP at around $32 billion, or roughly 10.5 times the anticipated 2023 revenues. Some are calling this a new high in financial wizardry. If the market jibes with Lionheart’s predictions, CEO John Ruiz would hold a stake worth more than $20 billion, with Frank Quesada (Ruiz’s partner) holding a $7 billion stake.
Legal-Bay Pre Settlement Funding reports an expansion to their capital needs now that funding applications are on the rise. The entire legal system had practically ground to a halt due to Covid-19, which caused massive delays in the courts. But now that life is starting to return to normal, backlogged dockets are being addressed. With renewed activity, Legal-Bay is seeing an increase in applications for settlement funding.
Optimise is a new scheme covering clinical negligence and personal injury, specifically aimed at small law firms. The partnership comes amid motor legal reforms and offers a full dedicated authority scheme for firms and sole practitioners who take on clinical negligence or personal injury cases.
Alternative Investment specialist Percent recently announced a strategic partnership with Mustang Litigation Funding. Mustang, founded in 2018, focuses on portfolio litigation funding and personal injury case funding. This includes product liability, auto accidents, and premises liability. The partnership is expected to expand investment options and grow the companies’ network of partners.
The following piece is a contribution by Charles W. Price, CEO of Capital Now Funding, LLC.
The following scenario was once all too common – plaintiffs injured in an accident, waiting impatiently for a complex lawsuit to settle. With the clock ticking and the plaintiff often unable to work, there was little they could do except wait for the phone to ring while medical and other bills kept piling up. Meanwhile, their attorneys must candidly tell them that it will be weeks to months or years before they might receive their settlement money.
Legal-Bay, The Pre Settlement Funding Company, reports an update in the lawsuit filings against exercise equipment company, Peloton. Class-action suits have been filed in courts of both the Northern District of California and Eastern District of New York; as a result a recall has been initiated on the Tread+ model treadmill.
Joseph Hoats, a California attorney, has been stripped of his ability to practice law following a guilty plea for perjury. He will, however, avoid prison time after lying to a judge about his knowledge of a lawsuit filed in his name. Prosecutors sought a 15-21 month sentence for the crime.
The District of New Jersey has proposed an amendment that, if enacted, would require disclosure when a plaintiff or defendant is utilizing third-party legal funding. The proposed Rule 7.1.1 would require filed statements detailing all information about non-parties providing funding for attorney fees and expenses, in exchange for a percentage of any award.
This past Tuesday, Litigation Finance Journal hosted a special digital event, “Investor Insights into Consumer Legal Funding.” The panel discussion featured a trio of institutional investors, including Ben Kaplan (BK), co-founder of C9 Partners, Don Plotsky (DP), co-founder of Uinta Investments, and Michael Morris (MM), Managing Director of Northleaf Capital. Dan Avnir (DA), Managing Director of Bryant Park Capital moderated the discussion.
Counsel Financial will continue its long-standing commitment as the headline sponsor “Business of Law” program during the Mass Torts Made Perfect™ Virtual Vegas seminar (MTMP) this week. The three-day virtual conference will offer continuing education, informative sessions on the latest litigations from leading attorneys and networking opportunities.
The New York State Trial Lawyers Association received a donation that has people talking. US Claims, a litigation funder based in Florida, gave $100,000 in a move some speculate is meant to influence government officials seeking to increase regulation.
Tribeca Capital Group, LLC, one of the nation’s leading litigation loan companies, has announced a drive to help support the financial needs of whistleblowers who bring actions to expose fraudulent corporate activities and other wrongdoing.
Litigation Finance Journal has announced an upcoming roundtable discussion on third-party legal funding. A panel of institutional investors will discuss their thoughts on Consumer Legal Funding as an asset class. This special event will be held April 13 from 11:30 am-12:30 pm EST. Tickets can be found here.
USClaims is proud to announce that it is now a top sponsor of the New York State Trial Lawyers Association (NYSTLA). With its $100,000 commitment at the Skyline Partner level, USClaims joins with 5-Star Legal Funding to support one of the strongest trial lawyer associations in the country. This momentous partnership furthers USClaims’ mission of making Litigation Funding Simplified ™.
The following article was contributed by Eric Schuller, President of the Alliance for Responsible Consumer Legal Funding (ARC).
The classification of Consumer Legal Funding as a loan is more than mere semantics. Consumer Legal Funding is the purchase of an asset; that being a portion of the proceeds of the consumer’s legal claim. This form of investment allows the consumer to access much needed support in order to obtain the financial assistance they need while their claim is making its way through the system.
You may ask yourself, so why does this matter?
Litigation Funding leader Tribeca Capital Group, LLC, is pleased to announce its New Year 2021 Mass Tort initiative to offer financial relief to victims of defective surgical implants, unsafe medications, or institutions that protected sexual predators. These mass torts include the over-the-counter heartburn medication Zantac, medical device placement surgeries for hernia mesh and inferior vena cava (IVC) filters, and sexual abuse by leaders and others associated with the Boy Scouts of America organization. Tribeca has formed a dedicated team to assist victims who are asserting claims against the corporations and groups in whom they placed their trust but ended up wreaking havoc in their lives.
Thomas Girardi was a famous trial lawyer when he assured devastated clients that he would help them. One such client, Kathy Ruigomez, took the celebrity attorney at his word based on his affectation, and his reputation as illustrated in the film Erin Brockovich.
Multi Funding USA, a leading provider of pre-settlement funding serving law firms and attorneys, has been named the exclusive litigation funding partner for TrialSchool.org (Trial School), a not-for-profit trial advocacy training for lawyers who represent individuals and families. Multi Funding USA is a Platinum Sponsor for Trial School and will offer cloud-based litigation finance services to Trial School’s extensive client base of law firms and attorneys across the United States.
It’s been asserted that lawyer and reality-show-husband Tom Girardi is currently incapable of active participation in his current legal situation. Documents recently filed assert that the firm Girardi Keese owes Virage SPV more than $10 million. Yet Girardi’s brother maintains that the founder of the firm is suffering from memory loss and requires a guardian ad litem for himself and his firm.
Easy Legal Finance Inc. a Canadian litigation financing firm, announced today the acquisition of Settlement Lenders Inc. Based in Edmonton, Settlement Lenders Inc. started serving clients in the early 1990s as one of the first firms in the country to offer pre-settlement lending to personal injury plaintiffs.
Golden Pear Funding OpCo, LLC announced Kroll Bond Rating Agency (KBRA) assigns a rating to one class of notes from PEAR 2020-1, LLC – an $80 million litigation finance asset backed security (ABS) transaction. The PEAR 2020-1, LLC transaction represents Golden Pear’s first rated security collateralized by litigation finance receivables.
The following article was contributed by Eric Schuller, President of the Alliance for Responsible Consumer Legal Funding (ARC).
