Legal claim launched against Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink after millions double-pay for fares in London

A hearing has been set by the Competition Appeal Tribunal (“CAT”) to take place on the first available date after 20 February 2023 (the “CPO Hearing”).

The CPO Hearing is in respect of a claim launched on 24 November 2021 by Justin Gutmann, formerly of Citizens Advice, on behalf of millions of passengers who have allegedly paid twice for part of their journeys whilst travelling with Govia Thameslink Railway (“GTR”), (the “Proposed Claim”).

The Proposed Claim is against GTR (and its parent companies) which operates the following franchises:

i.                     Thameslink

ii.                   Southern

iii.                 Great Northern

Following a case management conference which took place on 15 November 2022, the CAT has confirmed a further hearing should take place so that the CAT can consider the following:

i.                     if Mr Gutmann (the person proposing to be the class representative) is suitable to act on behalf of the proposed class and should be certified to bring the claim; and

ii.                   if the Proposed Claim itself is suitable to be brought as a collective action and whether it should proceed to a full trial.

The CPO Hearing is to take place on the first available date after 20 February 2023.

Background to the Proposed Claim

Mr Gutmann alleges that GTR, as the operator of the Great Northern, Southern and Thameslink franchises has breached competition laws by charging TfL Travelcard holders too much for travel  on their routes.

Travelcard holders have already paid for their travel within the relevant TfL zones, so a Travelcard holder would only need to purchase a (cheaper) ‘boundary’ fare or ‘extension’ fare for the remainder of their route, to get to their destination. Mr Gutmann alleges that GTR does not make boundary fares sufficiently available for purchase. The claim is estimated to be worth around £73.3 million in damages.

Who is eligible?

Passengers who owned a Travelcard at any time from 24 November 2015 and also purchased a rail fare from a station within the zones of their Travelcard to a destination outside of those zones may be eligible for compensation.

What next?

The CAT will now determine whether or not Mr Gutmann’s claim is allowed to proceed to trial. If the claim is permitted to go forward, then those affected will not have to pay any legal fees, nor contact lawyers. 

Affected passengers who live in the UK will automatically be included in the claim, although they can choose to opt-out in due course.

Affected passengers who do not live in the UK will also be eligible to join the claim but must proactively opt-in.

As the case progresses, we will provide more detail as to what rail users will be required to do to either opt-in or opt-out. 

Further information 

The claim’s website and social media channels are available from the day of launch at BoundaryFares.com,  where affected passengers can sign up to receive further information regarding the legal proceedings. Justin Gutmann is also available for interview.

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Legal Bay Presettlement Funding Reports Updates to Zantac Lawsuits

By Harry Moran |

Legal-Bay LLC, a leading pre settlement funding company, reports that November's $2.2 billion ruling against GlaxoSmithKline has still not been distributed to 80,000+ Zantac plaintiffs. The UK-based pharmaceutical company has been the target of numerous lawsuits for the past five years with plaintiffs alleging the popular heartburn medication causes cancer, and that the company failed to warn users that its main ingredient—ranitidine—may be a human carcinogen.

Testing last month determined how such dangerous levels of ranitidine ended up in the antacid product. As it turns out, impurities in the NDMA found in ranitidine increase when exposed to higher temps and humid conditions. Meaning that the Zantac may have been manufactured correctly, but when it was stored in a damp bathroom or glove compartment of a car, users themselves may have unwittingly triggered the very agent that caused their cancer. 

Chris Janish, CEO of Legal Bay, says, "GSK felt it was in the company's best interest to settle the lawsuits in order to appease shareholders rather than draw out litigation endlessly, especially considering they have been able to do so while providing no admission of liability. While we don't have an exact timeline for when payouts are expected to begin, we are nonetheless offering funding for Zantac plaintiffs while they wait."

To apply for a cash advance lawsuit loan from your anticipated GSK Zantac lawsuit settlement, please visit the company's website HERE or call 877.571.0405.   

There is no way to estimate final settlement amounts or how much each plaintiff's case will be worth. Similar case values have been determined based on extent/amount of injuries along with the level of merit to the case. Each case is unique, and many factors go into deciding final damages. For the Zantac lawsuit payouts, plaintiffs will fall into one of three tiers:

  • Tier I:

Tier 1 injuries can expect payouts in the $300,000 range.  Injuries in this tier include cancers of the stomach, prostate, pancreas, or breast.

  • Tier II:

Tier 2 injuries can expect payouts between $80,000 and 160,000 in most cases.  Injuries in this tier include cancers of the major organs like bladder, kidney, or liver.

  • Tier III:

Tier 3 injuries are looking at payouts anywhere between $20,000 and $60,000.  Injuries in this tier vary greatly, but to a lesser extent than Tier I or II.

The verdicts in these lawsuits are wildly inconsistent and entirely unpredictable, and Legal Bay says there are no guarantees of award amounts nor time frames for payouts just based on the sheer number of claims to process. Nevertheless, Legal-Bay is one of the few legal funding companies who are providing some financial relief to Zantac lawsuit plaintiffs and their families with risk-free, non-recourse cash advance settlement loans. They have been a leader in the mass tort and Qui Tam arena for over fifteen years and have vast experience within this space. These litigations are complex, and Legal Bay has the knowledge and understanding to help plaintiffs navigate the complicated waters of the legal system.

If you're a plaintiff in an active GSK Zantac lawsuit and need an immediate cash advance from your anticipated settlement, please visit the company's website HERE or call 877.571.0405 where agents are standing by to hear about your specific case. 

Legal-Bay is one of the best lawsuit loan companies when it comes to mass tort and Qui Tam litigations, and has a great reputation within the industry. Legal-Bay assists plaintiffs in all types of class action and mass tort lawsuits, including: Round Up, Hernia Mesh, IVC Filters, Essure, Exactech hip and knee recall, Sex Abuse cases, JUUL, and more.

Legal-Bay assists plaintiffs in all other types of lawsuits including personal injury, dog bites, motor vehicle accidents, medical malpractice, police brutality, unlawful incarceration, workplace discrimination, wrongful termination, and more.

Legal-Bay's loan for settlement funding programs are designed to provide immediate cash in advance of a plaintiff's anticipated monetary award. While it's common to refer to these legal funding requests as settlement loans, loans for settlements, law suit loans, loans for lawsuits, etc., the "lawsuit loan" funds are, in fact, non-recourse. That means there's no risk when it comes to loans in lawsuit settlements because there is no obligation to repay the money if the recipient loses their case. Therefore, terms like settlement loan, loans for lawsuit, loans on settlement, or lawsuit loan funds don't necessarily apply, as the "loan on lawsuit" isn't really a loan at all, but rather a stress-free cash advance.

Legal-Bay is known to many as the best lawsuit funding provider in the industry for their helpful and knowledgeable staff, low rates, and quick turnaround, sometimes within 24-48 hours once all documents have been received.

To apply right now for a loan settlement program, please visit the company's website HERE or call toll-free at: 877.571.0405 where agents are standing by to answer any questions.

Latest Burford Quarterly Explores Key Trends Driving Innovation in Commercial Disputes in 2025

By Harry Moran |

Burford Capital, the leading global finance and asset management firm focused on law, today releases its latest Burford Quarterly, a journal of legal finance that explores top trends at the nexus of law and finance.

This Burford Quarterly examines the innovative ways in which businesses and law firms are reimagining their financial strategies around commercial disputes. Examples of this include law firms using creative billing structures as alternatives to hourly fees; companies choosing to opt out of litigation to maximize and accelerate recoveries; or businesses monetizing IP assets, allowing for continued investment in other vital areas of the business.

Articles in the Burford Quarterly No.1 2025 include:

  • The innovation engine: Legal finance for forward-thinking law firms

As law firms launch into 2025, a year that promises continued disruption and opportunity, innovation is not a choice—it's an imperative. Forward-thinking firms are reimagining their financial strategies, moving beyond traditional models to embrace legal finance as a critical tool for transformation. In this article, Travis Lenkner and Emily Slater explore innovative ways legal finance is helping firms solve pressing challenges and accelerate growth. 

  • Healthcare antitrust opt-outs: Improving liquidity by monetizing valuable legal claims

An increasing number of healthcare businesses are recognizing the value that legal finance provides in helping to mitigate the financial strain of high-cost litigation and expedite recoveries in high-stakes litigation. Ahead of a March 2025 opt-out deadline for claimants in the Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) antitrust class actions, Charles Griffin summarizes insights from a recent webcast in which experts from Burford and Paul Hastings presented factors hospital networks and providers should consider in weighing their options.

  • Legal finance and life sciences: Unlocking IP potential in pharma, biotech and medical devices

Innovation in Europe's life sciences and pharmaceutical sectors is vital, but long R&D cycles and short profit windows pose challenges. Joshua Harris explains how legal finance helps companies protect and monetize IP assets, enabling continued investment in life-saving technologies.

  • International arbitration in London: Next-Gen leaders' perspective

Geoff Nicholas, Christiane Deniger and James MacKinnon lead a Burford roundtable with London-based arbitration lawyers. Partners from A&O Shearman, Debevoise & Plimpton, Bryan Cave Leighton Paisner and Freshfields share their insights on key trends and challenges shaping international arbitration, including the use of technology and AI and arbitral efficiency.

Aviva Will, President of Burford Capital, says: "While the legal industry may be slow to evolve, legal finance is a powerful tool to drive innovation in the business of law. This issue of the Burford Quarterly highlights key trends in commercial litigation and arbitration in 2025 and shows how litigation funding continues to shape the legal industry. By providing capital and mitigating risk, funding removes barriers for businesses and facilitates growth, and the latest Quarterly brings insights, analysis and real-world examples of tools to help business executives, GCs, CLOs and law firm attorneys recognize and harness the full potential of finance for law."

About Burford Capital

Burford Capital is the leading global finance and asset management firm focused on law. Its businesses include litigation finance and risk management, asset recovery and a wide range of legal finance and advisory activities. Burford is publicly traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: BUR) and the London Stock Exchange (LSE: BUR), and it works with companies and law firms around the world from its offices in New York, London, Chicago, Washington, DC, Singapore, Dubai and Hong Kong.

For more information, please visit www.burfordcapital.com.

This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy any ordinary shares or other securities of Burford.

Rockpoint Legal Funding Highlights TrialBase’s Deposition Services as a Game-Changer for Legal Professionals

By Harry Moran |

Rockpoint Legal Funding is excited to introduce their integration with TrialBase (TrialBase.com), a leader in certified deposition services and legal reporting solutions, as a valuable resource for legal professionals. Attorneys can now instantly apply for litigation funding from Rockpoint directly within Trialbase in order to cover deposition costs on their cases.

TrialBase's cutting-edge deposition management services are uniquely positioned to enhance the efficiency of legal teams, while Rockpoint Legal Funding continues to provide trusted non-recourse funding solutions that empower attorneys to focus on winning cases.

Why TrialBase is an Ideal Resource for Legal Professionals:

Legal professionals often face complex challenges, from managing intricate discovery processes to ensuring financial stability for their clients. Together, TrialBase and Rockpoint Legal Funding can address these issues through:

1.    Streamlined Deposition Services:

TrialBase offers certified deposition management solutions through an integrated platform, helping legal teams save time and enhance case preparation.

2.    Financial Stability for Clients:

Attorneys can use Rockpoint's litigation funding to cover deposition costs and to reduce financial stress - allowing attorneys to focus on their case strategies without unnecessary delays.

3.    Secure Digital Workflow:

Both companies leverage secure, user-friendly platforms, enabling seamless, efficient support for legal professionals.