More Information on Disclosure in Litigation Finance Cases

As there is talk of more and more regulation of the growing multi-billion dollar industry that is third-party litigation finance, courts have continually upheld that litigation funding communications are protected by work product doctrine.

Previously, we shared about proposed legislation that would require disclosure of third-party financing agreements in litigation.  Recently this proposed legislation as well as other discussions regarding potential regulations of litigation finance in the United States, have given rise to questions about whether communications with potential clients and litigation financiers be protected.

Just earlier this year District Judge, Cathy Bissoon of the Western District of Pennsylvania continued the trend of holding that litigation finance is included as part of the work product doctrine.  Work product doctrine concerns the confidentiality of matters that have been prepared in anticipation of litigation.

Judge Bissoon applied the law of the Third Circuit, denying a motion to compel by Seagate and Western Digital Corporation to disclose how Lambeth Magnetic Sturctures is financing the case against them. Thus, holding that the plaintiff’s communications with litigation-funding organizations including the funding agreement were protected by work product doctrine because they took place during a time when the plaintiff actually and reasonable foresaw litigation and they were for the purpose of preparing or litigation.

While this is not a new decision, in fact it is very much in line with precedent from across the United States, this decision is especially important because it was in an intellectual property matter.  For IP cases in particular, confidentiality is of the upmost importance because that is usually what the action is ultimately about.

Therefore, the decision from Lambeth Magnetic Structures, LLC v. Seagate Tech. (US) Holdings, Inc. will help reassure clients in the IP field, a growing field for alternative litigation finance, that using this outside funding is a viable option.

Topics:  litigation finance, alternative litigation finance, third-party funding, law firms, regulation

 Works Cited:  Katharine Wolanyk, Another Favorable Ruling for Legal Finance: Pre-Litigation Funding Communications Protected by Work Product Doctrine, Burford Capital (January 25, 2018).

Lambeth Magnetic Structures, LLC v. Seagate Tech. (US) Holdings, Inc., 2017 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 215773.

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