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Legal-Bay Lawsuit Funding Reopens Underwriting Department for Victims of Sexual Abuse

Legal-Bay, The Pre Settlement Funding Company, announced today that they are reopening funding for victims of sexual abuse in light of recent settlements in the McLaren sports facility and multiple Los Angeles detention center lawsuits.

The McLaren case centers on the alleged sexual abuse of hundreds of children by a former Olympic coach, Bahram Hojreh. Hojreh was accused of sexually abusing young female gymnasts who were under his care at the Los Angeles-based gym where he coached. The allegations of abuse first surfaced in 2017, and Hojreh was arrested in April 2018.

In March 2020, the case was settled for a staggering $8.125 million, with each victim receiving $125,000 on average. According to reports, Hojreh pleaded no contest to charges of sexually abusing 13 female gymnasts, aged 7 to 14 years old, between 2014 and 2017. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but the sentence was later reduced to 6 years and 8 months, though he will have to register as a sex offender for life.

Also in Los Angeles, probation and detention officers at various juvenile centers are being accused of sexually assaulting approximately 300 boys and girls during their incarceration. The lawsuit was filed this past December, and alleges that the minors suffered multiple incidents of sexual abuse at the hands of the very staff employed to watch over them.

The abuse dates back as far as the 1970s right on up through 2018, and specifically names the following facilities: Camp Scott, Camp Kenyon Scudder, Los Padrinos, Barry J. Nidorf, and the Challenger Memorial Youth Centers.

The lawsuit claims that there were times when employees were granted unsupervised access to the detainees, subjecting them to verbal as well as physical and sexual abuse. Lawyers for the plaintiffs argue that reasonable supervision should have been enacted to keep the incarcerated juveniles safe.

In January 2020, a California state law opened a three-year window for victims to file suit, allowing any victim of sexual abuse to seek damages regardless of the amount of time that had passed since the assault took place. While that specific filing window has since closed, new cases have emerged similar to the ones outlined above that will need to be resolved. As it stands now, the law only allows victims to file suit prior to their 40th birthday or within five years of becoming aware of the childhood abuse if they are over 40. However, The Justice for Survivors Act is presently being debated in the state, and if passed, would end the statute of limitations to file claims of childhood sexual abuse. Legal-Bay reminds plaintiffs that the legal system is backlogged, creating an indefinite wait for sexual abuse survivors to see justice.

Chris Janish, CEO of Legal-Bay, commented, “The issue of sexual abuse of minors has been an ongoing problem for years, and unfortunately, still continues today. The California sports facility and juvenile detention center cases are just two examples of the ongoing problem of sexual abuse within youth organizations. While it’s encouraging to see settlements being reached, it’s clear that much more needs to be done to prevent abuse from occurring in the first place. This includes greater advocacy for the children. Only by taking bold steps can we ensure that kids are kept safe and protected while in the care of youth-based institutions. In the meantime, Legal-Bay stands at the ready to assist survivors and their families with their lawsuit funding needs.”

If you’ve been a victim of any type of sexual assault and need an immediate cash advance against your impending lawsuit settlement, please visit Legal-Bay HERE or call toll-free at 877.571.0405.

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Announcements Comercial Legal Innovation

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.

Announcements Comercial

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.

Announcements Comercial People Moves

Victory Park Expands Legal Credit Leadership with Maleson Promotion

By John Freund |

Victory Park Capital (VPC), a global alternative asset manager specializing in private credit, has announced that Justin Maleson will expand his role to Managing Director, co-heading the firm’s legal credit investment strategy. The promotion underscores VPC’s ongoing investment in its legal finance capabilities and follows Maleson’s initial appointment in 2024 as Assistant General Counsel.

An announcement from Victory Park Capital details Maleson’s new responsibilities, which include sourcing, analyzing, and managing investments across legal assets, while maintaining oversight of the firm’s legal operations. He joins Chad Clamage in co-leading the strategy, working alongside team members Hugo Lestiboudois and Andrew Pascal, under the continued oversight of VPC CEO and founder Richard Levy.

Maleson brings a strong background in litigation finance and commercial law to the position. Before joining VPC, he served as a director at Longford Capital, where he specialized in originating and managing litigation funding transactions. His earlier tenure as a litigation partner at Jenner & Block further deepened his exposure to complex legal matters, equipping him with the expertise needed to navigate the nuanced legal credit space.

VPC’s legal credit team emphasizes an asset-backed lending model, prioritizing downside protection and predictable income streams. The firm aims to capitalize on inefficiencies within the legal funding market by leveraging its internal expertise and broad network of relationships. With Maleson’s appointment, VPC signals its intent to further scale its legal credit strategy, positioning itself as a key player in the evolving legal finance sector.

Maleson’s elevation comes at a time of increasing sophistication in litigation finance, where experienced legal minds are playing a pivotal role in portfolio construction and risk management. As VPC bolsters its leadership, the move may foreshadow further institutionalization of legal asset investing and heightened competition in a maturing market segment.