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Global litigation funder Omni Bridgeway offers funding to Folli Follie Bondholders

To current and past holders of the CHF 150 million 3.25% 2017-2021 bonds Issued by FF Group Finance Luxembourg II SA Guaranteed by Folli Follie ISIN CH0385518052. This offer for litigation funding does not purport to be complete and is qualified in its entirety by reference to the terms of a Claims Purchase Agreement, a Claims Assignment Agreement and a Litigation Funding Agreement.

This letter summarises the principal terms on which Omni Bridgeway is prepared to offer a litigation funding arrangement to holders of the CHF 150 million 3.25% 2017 2021 (ISIN CH0385518052) bonds issued by FF Group Finance Luxembourg II SA and guaranteed by Folli Follie Commercial Manufacturing and Technical S.A. (ISIN CH0385518052) (the “Bondholder(s)” and the “Folli Follie Bonds”, respectively). Alcimos Limited (“Alcimos”) shall be cooperating with Omni Bridgeway in its efforts to assemble a group of claimants in relation to the proposed litigation funding arrangement.

Omni Bridgeway is an established, global litigation funder which already has a litigation funding arrangement in place with a group of Bondholders holding Folli Follie Bonds with a face value in excess of CHF 23 million for the purposes of bringing an action before the Swiss courts against UBS AG (the “Defendant”) on the basis of their role as bookrunners for the offering of the Folli Follie Bonds. Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan (Schweiz) GmbH (QE) has been engaged by the group to litigate the claims based on prospectus liability.

Omni Bridgeway and Alcimos are inviting current and past Bondholders who are not subscribed to the existing group action, to sign-up to the subsequent group action on or before 15 May 2021. In order for Bondholders to be eligible to participate in the group action, subject to this offer, they must have purchased the Folli Follie Bonds prior to 2 May 2018.

Omni Bridgeway is committed to bearing the costs associated with the litigation of the claims, on a non-recourse basis on the terms of a Litigation Funding Agreement and will not be entitled to any payment (nor to reimbursement of its funded costs) unless the litigation strategy results in a recovery. No payments to Omni Bridgeway can ever be more than the ultimate recovery. Furthermore, Omni Bridgeway will be responsible for (court) fees and/or costs the Defendant may incur in the litigation process should the case be lost and the claimants be ordered to pay adverse costs.

Interested current or past Bondholders will assign their claims to CH0385518052 – Bonds Claims Enforcement GmbH, an entity which has been set-up to facilitate the efficient management of the litigation process. As such, after subscribing to the group action, it is expected that no active involvement in the litigation will be required from the Bondholders.

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Pegasus Legal Capital Completes $74 Million Securitization to Fuel Growth

Pegasus Legal Capital, LLC ("Pegasus") (mylawfunds.com), a prominent pre-settlement legal funding company in the United States, announced today that it has successfully completed a $74 million litigation finance securitization. This achievement marks Pegasus' second securitization transaction in the asset class and another significant milestone in its capital market journey. The proceeds from this transaction will further propel Pegasus' growth across key markets in the United States.

Pegasus Managing Director, Alexander Khanas, expressed, "With the successful completion of this transaction, Pegasus will expand its business in the personal injury market while upholding its industry-leading service standards."

GreensLedge Capital Markets LLC played the role of Placement Agent for Pegasus. GreensLedge Senior Managing Director, Douglas Lipton, added, "We are delighted to continue expanding Pegasus' investor base through their second securitization issuance and assisting them in creatively developing their platform."

Headquartered in Deerfield Beach, Florida, Pegasus was founded in 2008 as a pre-settlement litigation finance company. Since its inception, the company's management team has successfully sourced, underwritten, and serviced over half a billion dollars through more than 30,000 advances. While Pegasus has traditionally focused on the New York market, it has established a strong presence in the Southeast and Texas markets as well.

Pegasus is a proud member of the American Legal Finance Association (ALFA), a national organization comprising companies that provide non-recourse funds to personal injury victims. ALFA's primary objective is to establish industry standards for transparency in legal funding transactions, ensuring upfront and clear disclosure to consumers.

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New Burford Capital Research Reveals How Businesses are Preparing for Likely Rise in Global Energy Transition Disputes

By Harry Moran |

Burford Capital, the leading global finance and asset management firm focused on law, today releases new research entitled “Energy transition disputes: GCs and senior lawyers on the business impacts of legal challenges to come,” which demonstrates how businesses are preparing for a likely rise in legal disputes related to the global energy transition. This transition―or the shift to renewable sources of energy―is likely to cause an increase in expensive commercial disputes.

Businesses are investing significant sums in this transition, and corporate commitments highlight the scale of economic engagement as they invest in the new technologies, infrastructure and other resources that will be needed. But multifaceted legal and commercial pressures present businesses with a myriad of potential challenges including contractual disagreements, regulatory compliance issues and the need for intellectual property enforcement or litigation. Burford’s research report aims to offer a unique perspective on how corporations foresee the expected rise in litigation and arbitration related to this energy transition, examining the areas of business impact related to this evolving landscape.

Burford commissioned this independent research by capturing insights from 300 GCs and heads of litigation across key industries impacted by the energy transition and spanning North America, Europe, Asia and Australia.

Key findings from the study include:

Disputes relating to the energy transition are rising

·       76% of GCs report they are already encountering disputes related to the energy transition and nearly half (47%) expect a further rise in the volume of such disputes in the next decade, driven by evolving laws, new technologies and infrastructure requirements.

Disputes relating to the energy transition are expected to be costly

·       Almost two in three GCs (63%) expect legal fees and expenses to exceed $4 million per energy transition case; a notable minority (29%) expect per case costs to exceed $10 million.

·       Over half (52%) view high costs as a significant factor in deciding not to pursue disputes.

·       Half (50%) of GCs agree that the energy transition will create the need for additional capital sources for the business.

Expected disputes span all types of business conflict

·       GCs are most likely to predict (77%) that the energy transition will result in more contractual disputes and commercial arbitration.

·       Joint ventures are expected to be particularly prone to disputes over profit allocation (76%) and intellectual property rights (65%).

·       Over half of GCs (57%) also expect their businesses to face arbitrations to resolve investor-state conflicts relating to the transition.

New tools are needed to manage the rising dispute costs

·       Legal finance is increasingly used to mitigate the financial burden of these disputes; three in four (75%) GCs have used or would consider using legal finance to offset the cost of disputes relating to this transition.

·       In particular, GCs value monetization―or advancing some of the expected entitlement of a pending claim, judgment or award― to generate liquidity from claims tied up in litigation and arbitration. With legal finance, companies can also offset the cost of pursuing affirmative litigation to generate liquidity, shifting legal departments from cost centers to value drivers.

Christopher Bogart, CEO of Burford Capital, said: “Businesses face significant challenges related to the global energy transition due to cross-border projects, differing legal frameworks and rapidly evolving policies. Additionally, long-term energy contracts may not keep pace with energy markets and technologies, resulting in conflicts among stakeholders. Burford’s latest research demonstrates the value of corporate finance for law, as legal finance helps companies manage the high costs of energy transition disputes and allows them to pursue meritorious claims without depleting resources.”

Burford’s research is based on a 2024 survey conducted by GLG and is supplemented by interviews with ten global energy transition experts conducted by Ari Kaplan Advisors.

The research report can be downloaded on Burford’s website.

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Hannah Sadler Joins GLS Capital Patent Investment Team

By Harry Moran |

Hannah Sadler has joined the firm as a vice president and member of the patent investment team.

“We are very happy to welcome Hannah to GLS Capital as a vice president and member of our team focusing on patent investments,” said Adam Gill, a GLS Capital managing director, co-founder, and leader of the firm’s patent-related investing. “Attracting top-tier talent is essential for continuing to help our clients achieve success, and Hannah’s background in patent litigation will be invaluable for navigating the complexities of patent investments and helping to drive our mission forward.”

Sadler focuses on diligence around qualified underwriting opportunities and monitoring and managing the firm’s patent litigation investments.

Before joining GLS Capital, Sadler was a patent litigator at Global IP Law Group in Chicago. She has over a decade of experience with all aspects of patent portfolio management and enforcement, including prosecution, litigation, sales, licensing, and portfolio valuation.

Sadler earned her J.D. (cum laude) from DePaul University College of Law and her Bachelor of Arts from the University of San Diego.

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