Litigation Funder Will Pay Plaintiffs Upfront

Litigation funder TriMark Legal Funding LLC announced it is extending an offer, originally made in March, to fund plaintiffs in personal injury matters before judgment. The $3,500 payment is available to plaintiffs who have been “negatively impacted by Coronavirus/COVID-19.” The company says it needs only three things before it will immediately forward the cash: a completed application, a copy of a driver’s license or state-issued ID, and a “brief conversation with plaintiff’s attorney.” The firm says it will consider plaintiffs in all manner of lawsuits, including personal injury, malpractice, premises liability, product liability, civil rights and employment, and that it’s waiving its normal underwriting fees. “Many plaintiffs involved in pending litigation were already struggling financially before the Coronavirus pandemic,” said Trimark’s CEO in a statement released by the company. “Now, after nearly 6 weeks of mandatory quarantines and with no real end in sight yet, many of those same people are out of money, out of time, out of options, and they are scared…” TriMark says it will consider fronting amounts greater than $3500, but approval in those cases will require documentation and case evaluation. What it’s offering, the firm says, is not a loan, although it’s been called that, because the money will not need to be repaid if the plaintiff does not win or settle the lawsuit.