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Landmark New York Court’s Decision Strengthens the Future of Litigation Funding

The following piece was contributed by Guido Demarco, Director and Head of Legal Assets at Stonward.

In a groundbreaking legal battle that pitted Petersen Energía SAU and Petersen Energía Inversora SAU[1] (the Petersen Companies) against the Republic of Argentina, the recent decision by the District Court of Southern District of New York has far-reaching implications for the litigation funding industry. This landmark ruling reaffirms the critical role litigation funders play in providing access to justice, particularly in complex cases involving powerful sovereign entities.

The Petersen case was a high-stake dispute that arose when Argentina failed to fulfill its obligations under the bylaws of YPF S.A, the national oil company. When Argentina privatized the company during the 90s, the country promised under the bylaws a compensated exit to shareholders – a mandatory tender offer – if Argentina were to reacquire control of the company by any means. In 2012, Argentina expropriated Repsol’s 51% stake in YPF but did not fulfill this promise, eventually plunging the Petersen Companies into insolvency and liquidation.

To fight back against this injustice, the resourceful insolvency administrator of the companies, Armando Betancor, devised a liquidation plan in 2015 that included securing litigation funding. Given the immense risks involved, the Petersen Companies had to assign 70% of any recovery obtained in the claims to Burford Capital, the litigation funder. These risks included fighting a fierce sovereign in New York courts, which implied paying high attorney and experts’ fees during a lengthy period, as well as enforcement risks.

During the trial, Argentina attempted to diminish the awarded damages by arguing that the litigation funder was the primary beneficiary of the compensation, seeking to shift the focus away from the plaintiffs’ rightful claims. This tactic sought to undermine the legitimacy of the litigation funding arrangement, implying that the claimants should receive reduced damages due to the involvement of a third-party funder. However, the court’s decision firmly rejected this argument, emphasizing that the responsibility for compensation lay with Argentina, regardless of the funding arrangement, ensuring that the claimants were not deprived of the full measure of their entitled damages.

In a single paragraph, the Judge unequivocally dismissed Argentina’s attempts to derail the case by injecting the role of Burford Capital into the proceedings. The Judge emphasized that the essence of the case remained between the plaintiffs and the defendant who inequitably refused to comply with its promises:

“The Court also rejects the Republic’s effort to inject Burford Capital into these proceedings. This remains a case brought by plaintiffs against a defendant for its wrongful conduct towards them, and the relevant question is what the Republic owes Plaintiffs to compensate them for the loss of the use of their money, not what Plaintiffs have done or will do with what they are owed. The Republic owes no more or less because of Burford Capital’s involvement. Furthermore, the Republic pulled the considerable levers available to it as a sovereign to attempt to take what it should have paid for and has since spared no expense in its defense. If Plaintiffs were required to trade a substantial part of their potential recovery to secure the financing necessary to bring their claims, in Petersen’s case because it was driven to bankruptcy, and litigate their claims to conclusion against a powerful sovereign defendant that has behaved in this manner, this is all the more reason to award Plaintiffs the full measure of their damages.”

Ironically, the most powerful impact for the litigation funding industry comes not from a lengthy legal argument, but from a single paragraph tucked away in a footnote of the judgment. Within this inconspicuous footnote, the Judge’s words resonate loudly, reaffirming the fundamental principles underpinning litigation funding. It reminds us that justice is blind to the funding mechanisms employed to level the playing field and that litigants should not be penalized for seeking financial support, particularly when facing formidable sovereign opponents and obstacles.

No doubt, this will be a beacon in times in which the industry is under heavy scrutiny, especially in Europe under the so-called Voss Report. The ruling reaffirms the legitimacy and importance of litigation funders in enabling access to justice in complex cases where financial backing is essential to bring claims to fruition.

The Court’s decision in the Petersen case is a significant victory not only for the plaintiffs but also for the litigation funding industry. It sets a powerful precedent that reinforces the rights of litigants to secure funding for their cases without sacrificing the full measure of their damages, contributing to a more equitable and accessible legal system. This decision will inspire confidence among potential litigants, funders, and investors alike, encouraging continued growth in the litigation funding industry.

We, at Stonward, are proud of having Armando Betancor, the insolvency administrator of the Petersen companies, in our Board of Investment.

[1] Petersen Energía SAU and Petersen Energía Inversora SAU v. Republic of Argentina, District Court of Southern District of New York, 15 Civ. 2739 (LAP) – 16 Civ. 8569 (LAP)

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Case Developments Commercial

CAT Finds in Favour of Professor Andreas Stephan in Amazon Claims

By Harry Moran |

Whilst last week saw a flurry of activity in the Competition Appeal Tribunal (CAT) as trials began in multiple collective proceedings, this week has seen the Tribunal hand down a ruling in a carriage dispute between two claims both targeting Amazon for allegations of anticompetitive behaviour.

A press release from Geradin Partners highlights the judgment from the CAT in a carriage dispute, which saw the Tribunal find in favour of Professor Andreas Stephan in collective proceedings being brought against Amazon. The carriage dispute related to the parallel claims brought by Professor Stephan and by the British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA), over allegations that Amazon engaged in anticompetitive practices that harmed third-party sellers on the online marketplace. Professor Stephan’s proceedings had instructed Geradin Partners and secured litigation funding from Innsworth, whilst BIRA had instructed Willkie Farr & Gallagher and agreed to funding from Litigation Capital Management (LCM).

In its ruling, the CAT found that whilst BIRA had an advantage in its suitability to act as the class representative, “this was clearly outweighed by the factors which favour Prof Stephan”, which it identified as “the scope of the claims and the expert methodology.” Although the CAT highlighted that the breadth of Professor Stephan’s claims “would no doubt enlarge the scope of a trial and therefore make it more complicated”, the ruling cited case law in emphasising that his claims “more consistent with the goals of access to justice by capturing more viable claims”.

The published judgment also shed light on the details of the funding arrangements in the claims. Professor Stephan’s litigation funding agreement (LFA) with Innsworth committed a maximum of £32.9 million to cover costs and expenses, with an additional commitment “to pay adverse costs of £5 million until the grant or refusal of a CPO and of £20 million thereafter.” As to the returns outlined in the funding agreement, Professor Stephan’s LFA with Innsworth “provides for a total multiple rising from 4 up to 10 (if the recovery is after the commencement of the substantive trial).” The CAT noted that the returns from Professor Stephan’s LFA were higher than for the funder in the BIRA claim, in the conclusion of its examination the Tribunal noted that “the funding arrangements of the two applications are a neutral factor in choosing between them.”

The CAT’s full judgment in the carriage dispute can be read here.

Additional analysis of the CAT’s ruling and its implications for future carriage disputes for funded proceedings can be found in a LinkedIn post from Matthew Lo, director at Exton Advisors.

Commercial People Moves

Ayse Yazir Appointed Managing Director at Bench Walk Advisors

By Harry Moran |

Ayse Yazir has started a new position as Managing Director at Bench Walk Advisors. This latest promotion comes in the seventh year of Yazir’s tenure at the market-leading litigation funder, having joined the firm in 2018 as a Vice President and most recently having served as Global Head of Origination.

In a post on LinkedIn, Yazir reveals that her work at Bench Walk Advisors incorporates a wide range of matters across the litigation funding industry including international and commercial arbitration, insolvency, class actions and global litigation matters as well as law firm and corporate portfolio arrangements and defense funding.

Yazir also expressed her delight at starting the new role and thanked her fellow Bench Walk Advisors’ managing directors Stuart Grant and Adrian Chopin for the opportunity.

Case Developments Commercial

Judge Preska Orders Argentina to Comply with Burford Discovery Request

By Harry Moran |

As we enter yet another year in the story of the $16.1 billion award in the case funded by Burford Capital against the YPF oil and gas company, a US judge has ordered the Argentine government to provide additional information about the country’s financial assets to the funder as part of its efforts to collect on the award.

An article in the Buenos Aires Herald provides an update on the ongoing fight to recover the $16.1 billion award in the YPF lawsuit, as a New York judge ordered Argentina to comply with a discovery request for information around the Argentine Central Bank’s gold reserves. The order handed down by Judge Loretta Preska followed the request made by Burford Capital in October of last year, with the litigation funder citing media reports that Argentina’s Central Bank had moved a portion of its gold reserves overseas.

Lawyers for Argentina’s government had submitted a letter last week arguing against the discovery request on the grounds that the Argentine Republic and Central Bank are legally separate entities, and that any such gold reserves have “special protection from execution under [United States’ Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act] and UK law.” Responding to these arguments in her order, Judge Preska stated plainly that “regardless of whether the gold reserves are held by [the Central Bank], the Republic shall produce its own documents concerning the reserves.”

Judge Preska also ordered the Argentine government to provide additional information concerning its SWIFT data on its overseas accounts and for documents from another lawsuit brought against the Republic, saying that all this information could “lead to other executable assets.”