Class action lawsuit progresses in London against Visa and Mastercard to challenge card payment fees affecting UK businesses

A significant class action lawsuit against Visa and Mastercard has progressed at the UK’s specialist competition tribunal. The Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) has set a date in April 2023 for a Collective Proceedings Order hearing, which will determine whether the claim – on behalf of a large number of businesses seeking damages for allegedly unlawful charges – can proceed to a full trial. 

Harcus Parker, a UK-based commercial litigation law firm specialising in group litigation, competition litigation and class action lawsuits, has brought the corporate card claim at the CAT, the UK’s specialist judicial body for hearing competition cases. The class action seeks compensation for UK businesses, which were charged Multilateral Interchange Fees (MIFs) for accepting payments using corporate* credit cards, as well as for both credit and debit cards used by overseas visitors.  The CAT has published the claim on its website and has now agreed to hear the application for a Collective Proceedings Order. 

Harcus Parker claims that Visa and Mastercard have forced banks to agree to a level of MIFs set by the two giants, which are “anti-competitive and unlawful”. 

“We want to ensure businesses across the UK economy are properly compensated.  We are making a stand against unlawful interchange fees, which should be abolished. Both the UK Supreme Court and the Court of Justice of the EU have condemned this practice for consumer credit and debit cards. The UK courts should now clamp down on commercial card fees and consumer card inter-regional fees,” said Jeremy Robinson, competition litigation partner at Harcus Parker. 

Mr Robinson added: “UK businesses in the travel, hospitality, retail and luxury sectors are particularly hurt by Mastercard and Visa’s multilateral interchange fees and we are pleased that this important claim has been endorsed by a number of leading trade bodies including UKHospitality and ABTA.” 

Multilateral Interchange Fees make up the greater part of the service charges levied by banks on businesses when customers pay by card.  Typically, for every £100 spent, up to £1.80 is charged on payments made by corporate cards, or cards used by overseas visitors – costs which are borne by companies throughout the UK.  

Since 2015, EU law capped Multilateral Interchange Fees at 0.3 percent on consumer credit card transactions, and 0.2 percent for consumer debit cards. However, this cap did not apply to corporate cards or for consumer card inter-regional transactions.  These sales have continued to attract fees of up to 1.8 percent per transaction.  Harcus Parker accuses Mastercard and Visa of requiring banks to charge anti-competitive MIFs on businesses. These MIFs for corporate and inter-regional payments should be zero per cent, say Harcus Parker. 

The class action is open to all businesses, including large international companies and local businesses, as well as some non-UK companies. Many of these businesses, particularly in the travel and hospitality sectors but also the luxury sector too, have been particularly hard hit by Brexit, Covid-19 and the current economic climate. 

UK businesses are invited at this stage to register their interest online at www.commercialcardclaim.co.uk.  Those businesses with an annual pre-Covid turnover of £100 million or more will be invited to opt-in to the claim.  Businesses with a turnover under this threshold who have registered online will be automatically included unless they choose to opt out. 

A number of trade bodies have endorsed the claim, including: 

  •     ABTA, which represents over 3,900 leading UK travel brands; 
  •     UK Hospitality, which represents 740 members representing many businesses across the UK; 
  •     UKinbound, which represents 330 businesses; 
  •     Tourism Alliance, which represents 65 associations and organisations, which in turn comprise thousands of potential claimants; 
  •     Advantage Travel Partnership, which represents 350 businesses with over £4.5billion annual turnover and which officially endorsed the case at its 2022 annual overseas conference. 

The CAT will hold a ‘certification hearing’ between 3-5 April 2023, when it will decide whether the case can go forward to trial, which is likely to take place in stages in 2024 and 2025. 

The case is financed by a third party litigation funder, Bench Walk Advisers, and is fully insured. 

*Corporate cards are a type of commercial card, sometimes known as a company or business card. 

The served claims can be found on the Competition Appeal Tribunal website: 

Harcus Parker is a commercial litigation firm.  It specialises in bringing and defending complex claims, often involving large groups of claimants.  Founded by Damon Parker in 2019, the firm is a recognised market leader in group litigation, case management and litigation funding. 

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Alpha Modus Holdings Enters into Funding Agreement in Connection with Broadcom Patent Infringement Lawsuit

By Harry Moran |

Alpha Modus Holdings, Inc. (Nasdaq: AMOD), a leader in AI-driven retail technology , today announced it has executed a patent monetization and funding agreement with Alpha Modus Ventures, LLC, the entity that recently filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Broadcom Inc on April 22, 2025.

Under the terms of the agreement, Alpha Modus Holdings, Inc. (AMOD) will fund litigation efforts related to the enforcement by Alpha Modus Ventures, LLC (an entity controlled by the CEO of Alpha Modus Holdings, Inc., William Alessi) of U.S. Patent Nos. 11,108,591; 11,303,473; and 11,310,077, which cover breakthrough technologies for transporting Fibre Channel data over Ethernet—a technology the company believes is being broadly infringed by Broadcom and others.

"This transaction underscores our commitment to unlocking value through aggressive IP enforcement and strategic funding structures," said William Alessi, CEO of Alpha Modus Holdings, Inc. "We believe this case against Broadcom will be transformative in both financial and strategic terms."

Importantly, the parties have also executed an option agreement granting Alpha Modus Holdings, Inc., the right to acquire 100% of Alpha Modus Ventures, LLC. The acquisition, if completed, will further consolidate patent ownership under AMOD and strengthen its position in ongoing and future enforcement actions. The exercise of the option will be subject to shareholder approval and other conditions, and there is no guaranty that the option will be exercised.

"This marks yet another major milestone in our strategic roadmap," Alessi added. "Alpha Modus has demonstrated its ability to identify valuable intellectual property, launch enforcement campaigns, and translate litigation into shareholder value. This agreement should continue that momentum."

The litigation against Broadcom is now actively underway in the United States Western District Texas Court and represents one of several high-stakes actions brought or funded by Alpha Modus. The company anticipates additional suits and partnerships will follow as part of its broader strategy to assert and monetize its growing IP portfolio.

For more information and to access Alpha Modus’ press room, visit: https://alphamodus.com/press-room/

For more information about Alpha Modus and its portfolio of innovations, please visit alphamodus.com.

About Alpha Modus

Alpha Modus is a technology company specializing in artificial intelligence solutions for the retail industry. Alpha Modus develops and licenses data-driven technologies that enhance consumer engagement and optimize in-store experiences. Headquartered in Cornelius, North Carolina, Alpha Modus is committed to leading the evolution of retail through innovation and strategic partnerships.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the “safe harbor” provisions of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Alpha Modus’s actual results may differ from their expectations, estimates, and projections, and, consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as “expect,” “estimate,” “project,” “budget,” “forecast,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “plan,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “believes,” “predicts,” “potential,” “continue,” and similar expressions (or the negative versions of such words or expressions) are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying these statements. These forward-looking statements include, without limitation, Alpha Modus’s expectations with respect to future performance.

Alpha Modus cautions readers not to place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Alpha Modus does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in its expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based.

Rockpoint Legal Funding Report Reveals How Long Civil Lawsuits Drag On–State by State

By Harry Moran |

Rockpoint Legal Funding today released The 2025 Lawsuit-Duration Index, a first-of-its-kind analysis that ranks U.S. states by the average time it takes a routine civil lawsuit to reach resolution. Drawing on thousands of line-items from trial-court dashboards, annual judiciary reports, and the National Center for State Courts (NCSC) case-flow datasets, the study shines a light on the calendar realities behind America's crowded dockets.

States Where Civil Cases Last the Longest

  1. New York — ≈ 30 months
    Why so long? Dense commercial caseloads, heavy discovery, and a "deferred note-of-issue" system that gives parties up to a year to certify readiness can stretch the calendar. Even though New York's Differentiated Case Management (DCM) rule sets a target of 15 months from filing to judgment, backlogs in the Supreme Court's civil terms routinely push cases to double that figure.
  2. California — ≈ 24 months
    Unlimited-jurisdiction civil matters must, by statewide standard, wrap up within two years, yet fiscal-year dashboards show that fewer than 80 percent of cases hit the 24-month mark, with the remainder spilling into a third year. Factors include large jury pools, complex consumer statutes, and pandemic-era continuances that have not fully cleared. 
  3. Florida — ≈ 20 months
    Circuit-court dashboards reveal that barely half of ordinary negligence and contract suits close inside 18 months. Although the Supreme Court adopted aggressive case-management rules in 2023, trial-level clearance rates are still catching up, and hurricane-related insurance litigation continues to clog calendars. 
  4. Illinois — ≈ 18 months
    Cook County alone processes more than 250 000 civil filings a year. Medical-malpractice caps were struck down a decade ago, and lengthy expert-witness phases keep many cases open well past the 1½-year horizon set by the state's Time-Standards order. Tort hotspots in Madison and St. Clair Counties skew the statewide mean upward. (Source: Illinois Courts Statistical Summary, 2024).
  5. Texas — ≈ 14 months
    A statewide "Age of Cases Disposed" audit for fiscal year 2023 shows that 58 percent of district-court civil cases are resolved inside a year; another 12 percent finish by 18 months; the remainder stretch longer, producing a weighted average of roughly 430 days. Urban districts with multicounty venues (Harris, Dallas, Bexar) post the slowest numbers

National context: Across 19 benchmark jurisdictions surveyed by the NCSC, the mean time to disposition for civil matters was 43 weeks—just under eleven months—highlighting how outlier states pull the national average upward.

Why Do Timelines Vary So Widely?

  • Caseload Mix – States dominated by high-stakes personal-injury, medical-malpractice, or complex commercial cases run longer discovery schedules than states whose dockets lean toward simpler contract or small-claims matters.
  • Procedural Rules – Broad discovery allowances (New York CPLR, California CCP) and generous continuance policies add months. Fast-track "rocket-docket" rules, used in parts of Texas and Virginia, compress schedules.
  • Judicial Resources – Trial-level judge-to-population ratios range from 3.9 per 100 000 residents in California to 2.6 in Texas; shortages translate directly into fuller calendars and later trial dates.
  • Backlog Hangover – Pandemic pauses left hundreds of thousands of jury-demand cases unresolved; courts that pivoted to virtual hearings (Florida, Texas) cleared inventory faster than states that waited for in-person sessions.
  • Local Legal Culture – In some venues, strategic delay is a negotiation tactic. High defense-side insurance penetration can encourage "wait it out" settlement strategies, particularly in auto-injury suits.

Economic and Human Costs

  • Direct Expense – The U.S. tort system cost $443 billion in 2022—about 2.1 percent of GDP—according to the U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform. Longer case cycles increase those costs by boosting attorney hours, expert-witness fees, and carrying charges.
  • Business Impact – Protracted litigation discourages expansion in plaintiff-friendly states and inflates liability-insurance premiums, costs ultimately passed to consumers.
  • Personal Hardship – Plaintiffs waiting years for compensation often face medical bills, lost wages, or repair costs they cannot defer. Delays disproportionately harm low-income claimants who lack emergency savings.

How Legal Funding Fits In

"Justice delayed shouldn't be justice denied," said Maz Ghorban, President of Rockpoint Legal Funding. "Our non-recourse advances give injured people the breathing room to see their cases through rather than settling early for pennies on the dollar."

Because Rockpoint is only repaid if a case resolves favorably, the company's interests are aligned with plaintiffs pursuing full, fair value—even in jurisdictions where court calendars run two or three years past filing. Rockpoint underwrites claims nationwide but sees the highest funding volumes in the very states that top the duration list, confirming the link between long case cycles and financial strain.

Methodology

Rockpoint analysts aggregated more than 4.2 million disposition records from:

  • The National Center for State Courts case-flow dashboards (43-state sample, FY 2023).
  • Individual judiciary statistical reports (California, Florida, Texas, Illinois, New York).
  • County-level "age-of-case" spreadsheets for large urban districts.

Cases involving small-claims, probate, or family-law matters were excluded to isolate routine civil tort and contract litigation. Mean and median days were calculated, then rounded to the nearest month for readability.

Looking Ahead

State supreme courts in Florida and Texas have adopted stricter case-management orders requiring active judicial oversight at the 90- and 180-day marks; California lawmakers are weighing pilot "civil fast-track" programs modeled on federal Rule 26(f). If fully implemented, those reforms could shave six to nine months off average durations over the next three years.

For more information on how Rockpoint Legal Funding can help plaintiffs bridge the financial gap while their cases wind through the courts, visit rockpointlegalfunding.com.

Supio Announces $60M Series B to Accelerate Adoption of Legal AI in Plaintiff Law

By Harry Moran |

Supio, a legal AI platform trusted by personal injury and mass tort plaintiff law firms, today announced it has raised $60 million in Series B funding. The round was led by existing investor Sapphire Ventures, with participation from new investors Mayfield and Thomson Reuters Ventures. The new investment brings Supio's total funding to date to $91 million.

The company's unique approach to combining specialized AI with human expert verification has set a new standard for accuracy and reliability in legal AI, addressing the critical challenge of hallucinations that plague many automated solutions. This has been particularly valuable in litigation settings where precision and confidence in the data are paramount.

"Supio is transforming how personal injury and mass tort litigation is practiced through specialized AI," said Rajeev Dham, Partner at Sapphire Ventures and Supio Board Member. "We believe their exponential growth demonstrates that law firms are embracing AI tools that deliver measurable advantages in case preparation and outcomes. We aim to recognize a category-defining company when we see one, and we're proud to deepen our partnership with the team revolutionizing this practice area."

The Series B funding will support the company's ambitious growth plans, including expanding its engineering and AI research teams, accelerating product development and scaling go-to-market operations to reach more law firms nationwide. The company recently launched a new suite of document intelligence tools to meet the needs of current users as well as taking into account what AI capabilities work best for personal injury cases.

"This funding allows us to expand our AI platform that's already helping law firms win better settlements and litigation for their clients," said Jerry Zhou, co-founder and CEO of Supio. "Our combination of specialized legal AI and human verification provides attorneys with accurate insights and drafting they can confidently use in negotiations and court. We're building technology that doesn't just save time, but fundamentally improves case outcomes."

Strengthens Leadership Team to Meet Growing Market Demand

Supio also announced the appointment of several key executives to support its rapid growth, including Jay Deubler to lead Sales, Gwen Sheridan to lead Customer Success and Jim Sinai to head Marketing. Jay Deubler joins with proven experience scaling revenue at Avalara from early stages through IPO. Gwen Sheridan brings valuable expertise from Highspot where she led all post-sales functions. Jim Sinai, a vertical SaaS marketing specialist, previously launched Einstein AI at Salesforce and led Procore through its IPO.

“Our growth since Series A confirms what we’ve believed all along—that specialized AI built for personal injury and mass tort law can transform how these practices operate,” Zhou said. “By expanding our executive team, we’re positioning Supio to meet the tremendous market demand for our AI-first approach to legal document workflows, and to deliver concrete results: faster case resolution, stronger settlements, and ultimately better outcomes for the individuals seeking justice."

Accelerating Growth and Impact Since Series A

Since emerging from stealth in August 2024 with its $25 million Series A funding, Supio has experienced four times Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR) growth and demonstrated the transformative impact of its AI platform. The company has significantly expanded its customer base, now serving many of the top personal injury and mass tort law firms across the United States including Huges & Coleman, Daniel Stark, Thomas Law Offices, and Whitley Law.

Supio's specialized AI platform has proven particularly valuable in helping firms win bigger. Firms such as Travis Legal Offices have reported getting at least 20-30% per case while Thomas Law reported increasing their annual case volume 62% since adopting Supio. In high-stakes litigation, Supio helped TorHoerman Law secure a landmark $495 million verdict against Abbott Labs. By combining AI-powered document analysis with rigorous human verification, Supio has established itself as the trusted solution for legal teams handling complex cases involving thousands of documents.

"Thomson Reuters Ventures invests in innovative companies that align with our strategic focus and the markets we serve. In the legal industry, personal injury and mass tort litigation demand specialized AI solutions designed specifically for these complex practice areas, and Supio addresses these unique challenges with both accuracy and depth," said Tamara Steffens, Managing Director, Thomson Reuters Ventures. "We're confident that Supio's platform, built from the ground up, will become essential for firms serious about maximizing case outcomes."

Photo and video assets available here.

About Supio

Supio is the leading AI platform transforming how personal injury and mass tort law firms build stronger cases and achieve superior outcomes. Supio’s Document Intelligence Platform converts complex case materials into actionable insights, combining specialized AI with human expert verification to ensure unmatched accuracy. Built with security and compliance at its foundation, Supio streamlines the entire case lifecycle—from pre-litigation analysis to courtroom strategy. Law firms using Supio report faster case resolution, higher settlement values, and deeper client trust through our precision-driven document analysis, advanced case economics, and intelligent drafting tools. Supio doesn't just save time—it fundamentally improves how legal teams work and win.

About Sapphire Ventures

Sapphire is a global software venture capital firm with $11.3+ billion in AUM and team members across Austin, London, Menlo Park and San Francisco. For over a decade, Sapphire has partnered with visionary management teams and venture funds to back companies of consequence. Since its founding, Sapphire has invested in more than 180 companies globally resulting in more than 30 Public Listings and 50 acquisitions. The firm's investment strategies — Sapphire Ventures, Sapphire Partners and Sapphire Sport — are focused on scaling companies and venture funds, elevating them to become category leaders. Sapphire's Portfolio Growth team of experienced operators delivers a strategic blend of value-add services, tools and resources designed to support portfolio company leaders as they scale.