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District Court in Poznań, Poland rejects Mariusz Świtalski’s request to lift injunction

CHICAGO, Illinois, June 30, 2020 — Forteam Investments Ltd., an investment company controlled by the American private equity firm Delta Capital Partners Management LLC (“Delta”), which is seeking approximately USD $86 million from Mariusz Świtalski and companies he controls, has secured an injunction against Świtalski and his assets.

A second injunction was also obtained against Świtalski and his four children, Mateusz, Natasza, Marcin and Mikołaj in relation to their ownership in the Świtalski FIZ investment fund.

Świtalski is a Polish entrepreneur that has been named one of the richest persons in Poland by Wprost Weekly.

On June 25, 2020, a Poznań, Poland court rejected a request to lift the first injunction against Świtalski in a decision that is unappealable.

Delta’s CEO Christopher DeLise said, “This decision bodes well for the success of our legal case against Mariusz Świtalski. The court’s choice to deny Świtalski’s appeal underscores the judges’ confidence in the merits of our legal arguments. Moreover, the attempt to conceal expensive cars at the Świtalski family residence by changing their number plates ahead of our bailiff’s visit demonstrates desperate tactics to avoid fulfilling clear legal obligations. We understand that this matter with supporting evidence has been referred to the appropriate criminal prosecutor in Srem. We are also reassured by statements made last week by the Polish President and Prime Minister regarding the security and attractiveness of US investments in Poland. We are aware that this matter is being carefully observed by the American investment community.”

The two injunctions related to Forteam’s civil suits against Świtalski have been widely reported in the press, with outlets such as Gazeta Wyborcza and Puls Biznesu detailing Świtalski’s history of evading contractual obligations.

By way of background, on May 8, 2015, Forteam purchased from Czerwona Torebka, a 100% stake in Małpka, the owner of the Małpka Express chain. Forteam eventually sold its 16.18% stake in Czerwona Torebka. The parties to that transaction were aware of Małpka’s challenging situation and thus acknowledged in the agreement that additional considerable financing would be needed in order for Małpka to remain afloat.

Accordingly, Mariusz Świtalski and Sowiniec Group contractually agreed to guarantee that Forteam would make a profit from its investment when it eventually exited the business. In connection with the issuance of the guarantee in favor of Forteam, Mariusz Świtalski submitted a written declaration that his personal assets were sufficient to enable him to honor his obligations under the guarantee agreement.

Despite having engaged a well-respected independent investment bank in 2018 to run a robust sales process for it, Forteam was only able to sell Małpka Express for an amount well-below the minimum set forth in the definitive transaction documents and related guarantee agreement.

On December 28, 2018, Forteam notified Świtalski of its obligation to remit the monies owed to Forteam pursuant to the guarantee agreement. Notwithstanding, Świtalski and his companies have failed to pay any amounts due and owing to Forteam, which necessitated the filing of the injunctions and civil lawsuits.

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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.

Sentry Expands Free Funding Market Search for Litigators

By John Freund |

Sentry Funding’s free tool enabling litigators to instantly search the funding market on behalf of clients has been expanded.

Sentry’s free ‘decision in principle’ feature enables lawyers to evidence to clients that they have conducted a broad market search, even if funding is not ultimately taken out.

Having deployed £125m in funding across a range of case types, Sentry now has access to an even broader funding marketplace, covering 34 global jurisdictions. Finance is provided by 13 funders, five of which are members of the Association of Litigation Funders.

With the recent addition of Sentry’s first US-based funder, the US offering will now be expanding over the next few months. 

A faster process

Sentry has deployed the latest technology to make the search for funding even easier. 

  • The intuitive application process now only asks questions relevant to previous answers, saving lawyers time.
  • The commercial marketplace has been redeveloped with 63 new data points added to the funder criteria matrix - improving the accuracy of case / funder matching
  • Sentry has also begun building out its AI capabilities, starting with an automated auditing tool for live case progression audits. 

Tom Webster, chief executive officer at Sentry Funding, said:

‘By broadening our reach and speeding up the process, we’re making it even easier for lawyers to raise funding. We’re also giving litigators an easy way to show clients they have fully researched the market, rather than just approaching one or two funders. 

‘The service is free to use, so even if clients decide they do not ultimately want funding or if none is available for that case, for the lawyer, it makes sense to use our “decision in principle” feature, so they can put evidence on file that they did check the market.’

Sentry Funding is an SaaS (software as a service) technology provider that gives solicitors access to a diverse marketplace of litigation funders. It works with solicitors, funders and third-party providers to ensure claimants are getting the most efficient service for their funding needs. 

The Sentry Portal also acts as a case management system that runs a transparent digital case file for solicitors, funders, after-the-event insurance providers, barristers, cost lawyers and other relevant third parties.

NorthWall Capital Hits €2.9 B AUM on Private Credit Momentum

By John Freund |

NorthWall Capital has rocketed past €2.9 billion in assets under management after pulling in an additional €1.6 billion of institutional capital in 2025 alone. The London-based alternative credit manager says the surge reflects allocators’ intensifying hunt for scaled, multi-strategy platforms as Europe’s banks retrench and borrowers seek bespoke sources of credit.

A press release from NorthWall Capital details first-close totals across four distinct strategies. The flagship Credit Opportunities fund secured €731 million—already eclipsing its prior vintage—while the newly launched Senior Lending vehicle raised $503 million, translating to roughly $750 million of deployable firepower once leverage is applied. Asset-Backed Opportunities collected €252 million for collateral-rich loans in sectors underserved by traditional lenders, and the specialist Legal Assets platform locked down $169 million to extend the firm’s law-firm lending programme.

Founder and CIO Fabian Chrobog said the fundraising validates “the consistency of our approach” and NorthWall’s ability to craft solutions that resonate with investors and counterparties alike. With headcount slated to hit 40 by year-end, the firm plans to lean further into complex, situational credit born of bank deleveraging, regulatory shifts and sponsors’ need for certainty of execution.