Category Archives: Premium
Burford Reaches FTSE-100 Status With Extraordinary Growth
After a recent 10% rise in share price, Burford Capital, the world’s largest litigation funder, clocked in at a $4 billion valuation. That’s enough to rank the company at the bottom of the FTSE-100, and many investors – including veteran fund manager Neil Woodford – feel that Burford is bound to rise even higher….
Are Litigation Funders Liable for Counterclaims Against the Plaintiffs They Fund?
The U.S. District Court for the Central District of California is currently hearing a case that could alter the financial calculus funders utilize when making investment decisions, and in turn drastically transform the nascent litigation funding landscape….
Identical House and Senate Bills Seek to Mandate Litigation Funding Disclosure in Texas
Representative Matt Krause and Senator Pat Fallon put forth identical bills in the Texas House and Senate, respectively. The bills seek to require the Texas Supreme Court to adopt mandatory disclosure of litigation funding agreements in all civil actions….
D.C. Attorney General Pursues Environmental Claim Against Exxon, May Seek Litigation Funding
D.C. Attorney General Karl Racine is in search of outside counsel with an expertise in climate change, signaling that a long-rumored suit against Exxon is in the works. The claim will likely mimic the ‘Exxon Knew’ suits, which allege that the oil giant knew about the link between fossil fuel production and climate change, and…
Former Whitebox Advisors Pair Launches $500MM Special Situations Fund; Look to Invest in Lit Fin
Whitebox Advisors duo Cindy Chen Delano and Amit Patel have formed a special situations fund called Invictus Global Management. The Austin, TX-based fund will invest in distressed credit, bankruptcy trade claims and litigation finance….
CFPB and NYAG File Opening Briefs in RD Legal Case
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the New York Attorney General’s Office (NYAG) have filed their opening briefs to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. The dynamic duo is appealing Judge Preska’s ruling that the CFPB’s claim against RD Legal and other consumer legal funders be dismissed because the CFPB is unconstitutional. Judge Preska later…
Australia Facing a “Perfect Storm” in the Class Action Space
Independent Australian commercial law firm Corrs Chambers Westgarth sees a “perfect storm” on the horizon for the class action market down under. The impending release of the Australian Law Reform Commission report, increasing competition amongst litigation funders, and affirmation that courts can indeed make common-fund orders in open class actions may combine to make 2019 a watershed…
Kingsgate Accepts Lowball Insurance Offer In-Lieu of Litigation Funding
Kingsgate Consolidated’s chairman Ross Smyth-Kirk accepted a much smaller insurance payout than he was hoping for. The company had been in talks with litigation funders about suing the government of Thailand over the closure of the company’s Chatree gold mine, but Smyth-Kirk plans to use the insurance payout to fund his claim, rather than rely…
IOOF Faces Quinn Emanuel and Regency Group Class Action
Australian financial services company IOOF Holdings Limited is facing a funded class action alleging the company violated its continuous disclosure obligations by failing to inform investors that regulator Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA) was investigating the company over a potential breach of superannuation laws….
The Key Issues Facing the Litigation Funding Industry
A recent Lake Whillans survey found that over 40% of litigators had first-hand experience with litigation funding. And that number is widely expected to grow over the coming year. But with mainstream acceptance comes increased attention – not all of it positive. As the funding industry expands both domestically and internationally, some key issues are…
