Legal Ethics: Trump, Gawker and the Legal Ethics of Alternative Litigation Finance
In the latest installment of this popular series, Zach McGee discusses the legal ethics issues that arise when someone other than the plaintiff is funding a lawsuit, which often goes by the name “alternative litigation finance” or ALF. Zach examines these issues in the context of the two most famous ALF lawsuits that have been prosecuted to date: E. Jean Carroll’s lawsuit against former President Donald Trump alleging that he sexually assaulted and defamed her, and Hulk Hogan’s lawsuit against the gossip website Gawker alleging that the site invaded his privacy when it published a sex tape in which Hogan appeared. Rules covered include: ABA Model Rules 1.2, 1.6, 1.7, 1.8, 5.4 & 7.2; California Rules of Professional Conduct 1.2.1 & 2.1; New York Rules of Professional Conduct 1.2 & 1.8; California Business & Professions Code ? 6129.