An investigation into the funding dispute behind South Africa's long-running "Please Call Me" litigation has detailed a series of adverse findings against the insolvency practitioner who has controlled one of the entities claiming a share of the payout.

As reported by ITWeb, Raining Men — the company that in 2015 pursued a 40% share of any winnings from Nkosana Makate's claim against Vodacom — has been in business rescue since January 2019 and remains there. Thomas Samons, appointed its business rescue practitioner on January 21, 2019, has been criticized in three separate forums.

Arbitrator Andrew Mabena, who ruled in 2020 that Raining Men held no claim to a share of Makate's winnings, levied punitive costs and described as "shocking" the reliance Samons and two funders placed on what he found to be a fraudulent transfer of rights from Black Rock to Raining Men, saying they had "perpetuated" a "disregard for ethical and responsible litigation."

Separately, Pretoria High Court Judge Harshila Kooverjie removed Samons as business rescue practitioner of three North West state-owned entities for incompetence, and a December 2025 judgment dismissed his attempt to overturn that decision. The Companies and Intellectual Property Commission suspended his licence in February 2025, though he successfully challenged the suspension and remains licensed.

The funding chain traces to 2011, when Chris Schoeman — a disbarred advocate — signed the first funding deal with Makate. Black Rock was confirmed as the named funding party in 2013. Errol Elsdon, a Raining Men director, is now suing Makate for a share of his undisclosed Vodacom settlement on the basis of funding provided. Samons did not respond to ITWeb's requests for comment.

Consumer legal funding company Legal-Bay has reported that Pfizer Inc. and plaintiffs' leadership have entered into a settlement program intended to resolve a substantial share of the federal lawsuits alleging that the contraceptive injection Depo-Provera caused intracranial meningiomas.

As reported by Legal Bay, a case management order issued August 10, 2026 by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida recorded that the parties had entered into a settlement memorialized in an agreement dated July 22, 2026. The multidistrict litigation had 6,289 cases pending at the time of the order.

Terms are confidential and no aggregate value has been publicly confirmed. Legal-Bay estimates that roughly 5,000 claims may resolve for more than $1.2 billion, averaging about $250,000 per claimant, with awards for the most severely injured potentially approaching $1 million. Those figures are the funder's own projections rather than court-confirmed numbers. Pfizer has not admitted fault or liability.

Legal-Bay said the registration deadline for the program is November 30, 2026, and that it is offering non-recourse advances to claimants, repayable only if a case succeeds, with funding available within 24 hours for pre-approved brain tumor cases.

"This settlement program is an important development for claimants who have faced medical, emotional and financial uncertainty," said Chris Janish, chief executive of Legal-Bay.

A settlement structure of this scale creates a defined repayment horizon for consumer funders holding advances against Depo-Provera claims, though the confidentiality of tier amounts and eligibility criteria leaves individual case values unresolved until the claims review process begins.