Litigation Finance Pioneers Return to Hunt Rare Secondary Deals

Six years after Adam Gerchen and Ashley Keller sold their litigation finance company for roughly $160 million, they’re back with a new plan: Buying up pieces of lawsuits from their old competitors. The pair’s new venture has raised $750 million for the first litigation fund aimed at secondary transactions. Gerchen’s new fund has deployed about $225 million, and one of its deals became public for the first time last week. It purchased a 30% claim from Omni Bridgeway in an Australian class action over “combustible cladding,” building materials prone to catch fire. Gerchen Capital paid $19.5 million, generating a $16 million profit for Omni Bridgeway, according to a regulatory filing.