Stay informed with updates and key industry developments shaping the global finance litigation landscape.

Legal-Bay, The Pre Settlement Funding Company, announced today that Johnson & Johnson’s efforts to put a hold on the numerous lawsuits they are facing by filing bankruptcy have failed. Judge Kaplan ruled that the filing did not meet the requirements to qualify as a “good-faith” bankruptcy attempt, and was merely a way to seek protections against the billions of dollars the pharmaceutical giant will be expected to pay out in damages.

Legal-Bay, the Pre-Settlement Funding Company, announced an uptick in applications for settlement funding now that back-to-school season has begun. Now that summer is over and kids are heading back to school, many parents of college-aged children are faced with the added costs of tuition payments, textbooks, and travel expenses to-and-from campus, not to mention meals and housing once they get there.

Leading UK consumer law firm Slater and Gordon has agreed a £33 million committed facility with litigation funder and lender to law firms, Harbour, in what is believed to be one of the largest lending deals in the sector this year.

In a bid to decongest the Indian legal system, LegalPay, India’s largest litigation financier has launched an Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) wing called Bharat Dispute Resolution (BDR).

The Frankfurt-based litigation financing company LF Legal Finance SE, through its subsidiary Legal Finance International GmbH (Düsseldorf), has acquired an option to finance an international tort case with a value in dispute of up to EUR 1.0 million. If the case is financed and won, Legal Finance expects significant cash inflows.

Pegasus Legal Capital, LLC (“Pegasus”) (mylawfunds.com), one of the preeminent pre-settlement legal funding companies in the U.S., announced today that it has recently closed a senior debt transaction with East West Bank. This marks another significant capital market transaction for the company and proceeds from the transaction will enable Pegasus to continue its growth across the United States.

Ward and Smith is pleased to announce that litigation attorney Lynwood Evans has been appointed to the Plaintiffs’ Executive Committee in the litigation over contaminated water at Camp Lejeune. This appointment is particularly significant as we are quickly approaching the first anniversary of the Camp Lejeune Justice Act.

Legal-Bay, the Pre-Settlement Funding Company, reports that the Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse, New York has just announced a $100 million settlement for sexual abuse plaintiffs. With approximately 400 claimants, settlements average out to $250,000 per case, but some plaintiffs will receive more or less than that amount based on the severity of the abuse incurred.

Legal-Bay, The Pre Settlement Funding Company, announced today that they are now adding mesothelioma victims to their list of Johnson & Johnson talc plaintiffs. The pharmaceutical company just lost their most recent court case, resulting in a landmark $18 million verdict. Both J&J and plaintiffs/lawyers await the next steps in what has been a painfully slow process.

4 Rivers has a case which requires urgent funding. It is a RICO claim against a large insurance company, which has recently been found to be already engaging in serious misconduct, including a Punitive Damages award against it, and found vicariously liable for assisting arsonists.

Litigation Capital Management Limited (AIM:LIT), an alternative asset manager specialising in dispute financing solutions internationally, announces a positive development on an investment within its Fund I portfolio.

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 the top trends impacting the business of law.

Litigation Capital Management Limited (AIM:LIT), a leading alternative asset manager of disputes financing solutions, provides a market update for the twelve month period to 30 June 2023 (“FY2023”).

EJF Capital LLC (“EJF Capital”), a global alternative asset management firm, today announced the successful close of its fourth installment of litigation finance investment vehicles, Rocade Capital Fund IV LP and Rocade Capital Offshore Fund IV LP (the “Funds”) with approximately $220 million in investor subscriptions and commitments. Previously, EJF Capital and funds affiliated with Barings LLC, one of the world’s leading investment managers, formed a joint venture specialty finance company, Rocade LLC (“Rocade”), with $250 million of committed capital designed to invest alongside the Funds. The combined capital commitments raised across Rocade and the Funds totals approximately $470 million.

Lex Ferenda Litigation Funding LLC “LF2” recently launched two new initiatives in conjunction with its commercial funding operations. “LF2 University” or “LF2U” offers programming and content promoting education about litigation finance. Meanwhile, “LF2 Gives” serves as LF2’s philanthropic arm and corporate citizenship program, through which LF2 supports the local communities in which it works.

Funds managed by Foresight Group (“Foresight”), a leading, listed, sustainability-led alternative asset investment manager with £12 billion* of assets under management, have completed the acquisition of LionFish Litigation Finance Limited (“LionFish”) from AIM-listed professional services firm RBG Holdings Plc (“RBG”).

Aristata Capital is pleased to announce that it has secured nearly £52 million of capital at final closing for its first impact litigation fund, Aristata Impact Litigation Fund I LP (AILF I).

Omni Bridgeway is pleased to welcome Leora Ben-Ami and the Honorable Winifred Y. Smith (Ret.) to its Investment Committee. These nationally regarded legal industry professionals bring decades of experience and a wealth of knowledge to Omni Bridgeway’s investment process. Ms. Ben-Ami will leverage her extensive background in intellectual property to review and evaluate cases relevant to the company’s global IP portfolio. Judge Smith joins the US Investment Committee, where she will consider a variety of complex commercial cases.

European businesses and consumers could be left without access to a vital financing tool providing access to justice, experts warn today.

Manolete (AIM:MANO), the leading UK-listed insolvency litigation financing company, today announces its audited results for the year ended 31 March 2023. 

Burford Capital, the leading global finance and asset management firm focused on law, today releases new independent research on how in-house lawyers are adjusting their strategies in a period of sustained uncertainty. Businesses are seeking to manage risks and costs, and in turn, legal departments—and the outside law firms that work with them—have the opportunity to position themselves as part of the solution, with legal finance expected to play a role.

Golden Pear Funding (Golden Pear), a national leader in pre-settlement legal funding, announced the upsizing to $67.2 million of its existing corporate notes. The incremental capital raise was assigned a BBB rating by a nationally recognized statistical ratings organization (NRSRO) and follows the Company’s successful corporate note issuance announced in January 2022. Proceeds from the upsize will be used to repay subordinated debt and support additional growth of the business.

Litigation funding specialists Apex Litigation Finance have announced the appointment of two new Legal team members: Chris Thenabadu joining as Senior Case Underwriter, and Stephen Caldecott joining as a Case Underwriter.

Burford Capital Limited (“Burford” or “Burford Capital”), the leading global finance and asset management firm focused on law, today announces the planned private offering of $400 million aggregate principal amount of senior notes due 2031 (the “Notes”) by its indirect, wholly owned subsidiary, Burford Capital Global Finance LLC, subject to market and other conditions. The Notes will be guaranteed on a senior unsecured basis by Burford Capital as well as Burford Capital Finance LLC and Burford Capital PLC, both indirect, wholly owned subsidiaries of Burford Capital (such guarantees, together with the Notes, the “Securities”).

One of the more important issues today concerning litigation in America is funding. Whether it be high verdicts, claim value drivers, or fraudulent claims, we are all affected. Vince Gerbino founding partner of Bruno, Gerbino, Soriano and Aitken, will moderate the webinar’s distinguished panel that will provide insight into this important concern from a broad range of perspectives.

Litigation Capital Management Limited (AIM:LIT), an alternative asset manager specializing in dispute financing solutions internationally, announces a successful resolution on an investment forming part of LCM’s Fund I portfolio of investments.

Burford Capital Limited (“Burford”), the leading global finance and asset management firm focused on law, today announces its unaudited financial results at and for the three months ended March 31, 2023 (“1Q23”).1 Burford’s report on Form 6-K for 1Q23, including unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements (the “1Q23 Quarterly Report”), is available on the Burford Capital website at http://investors.burfordcapital.com.

The European Litigation Funding Association (ELFA) is very pleased to announce that Stonward, a litigation funder focusing on Spain and Latin America, has joined ELFA, as the association now builds towards becoming the collective voice of the European Litigation Funding Industry.