Risk disclosures & regulatory framework
Plain-language disclosure of the material risks of backing crowd-funded litigation through Colit, plus the framework the platform operates under. Read in full before contributing to any round.
Critical risks
- Total loss. Contributions are non-recourse. If a funded case loses, your contribution is permanently lost.
- Illiquidity. A contribution to a funded round cannot be sold, transferred, or withdrawn before the case resolves. Cases commonly run 18 to 48 months, sometimes longer.
- All-or-nothing. A round deploys only if it reaches its full target by the deadline. If it does not, your contribution is refunded in full and no capital is deployed.
- Concentration. Single-case outcomes are wide-variance. Spread across many rounds before expecting portfolio-level results.
- Past results do not predict future outcomes. Litigation is uncertain.
- Disclosure-order risk. Some courts require disclosure of litigation funding; the fact a case is crowd-funded, and potentially backer information, may become discoverable.
- Champerty. A defendant may raise champerty in a few states. Colit does not fund cases in PA, KY, GA, AL, or MS, but cannot guarantee no challenge arises elsewhere.
1. About the offering
Colit is a crowd-funding marketplace for litigation. A claimant originates a round for a single case with a funding target and deadline; many backers contribute. A contribution is an investment of money in a common enterprise with an expectation of profit from the efforts of others, and is treated as a security. It is not a loan and not a deposit. Securities offered are not registered under the Securities Act and may not be resold absent registration or an applicable exemption.
2. Tiers and eligibility
A round's tier is set by its funding target and determines who can back it and under which exemption: L1 Community (up to $50K, intended under Reg CF, open to everyone with per-backer limits), L2 Growth ($50K to $1M, intended under Reg A+, open to everyone with per-backer limits), and L3 Accredited / L4 Institutional ($1M+, intended under Reg D 506(c), limited to accredited investors). Eligibility and per-backer caps are enforced at contribution time.
3. How a round works
Verified rounds open for funding. Contributions are escrowed, not deployed, while a round is funding. At the deadline the round settles: if the target was met it is funded and capital is deployed to counsel; if not, every backer is refunded their exact contribution. A funded case is litigated; on resolution the round closes win or lose.
4. The waterfall
On a win, gross recovery is distributed in order: the case's counsel contingency, then the community pool (capital raised plus the round's target multiple), then a platform fee of 2% of community profit only, then the residual to the claimant. A binding claimant floor guarantees the claimant a minimum share of any recovery; if the math would breach it, the community pool is reduced first. The community pool is split pro-rata among backers by contribution. On a loss, contributions are not recovered (non-recourse).
5. Fees
The only platform fee is 2% of community profit at resolution. There is no management fee, no fee on returned capital, and no fee on refunded rounds. The platform is paid only when, and only because, backers profit.
6. Tax
Returns may be taxable; character (capital vs. ordinary) depends on structure and holding period, and the IRS has not issued definitive guidance on litigation finance proceeds. Tax reporting and document delivery are part of the roadmap (see section 14). Consult your own tax advisor.
7. Verification and the community
Colit verifies a case for legitimacy and eligibility before its round opens; verification is not a prediction of outcome. The community is the underwriter: backers contribute and endorse, members suggest cases, and the speed and size of a crowd backing a case is itself the signal. Colit does not guarantee any case outcome.
8. Jurisdictional limits
Colit does not fund cases where champerty remains a viable defense: Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi. Several federal courts and one state (Wisconsin) require disclosure of litigation-funding arrangements; a court may order disclosure of the funding, and potentially backer information, in a given case.
9. No control of litigation
Consistent with bar guidance and industry codes (including ABA Model Rules and ILFA best practices), neither Colit nor backers may direct litigation strategy or settlement decisions. The claimant and their counsel retain full control.
10. Referrals and conflicts
Invite/referral attribution is reputation only; there is no cash referral compensation. Colit is not a broker-dealer. Material conflicts relevant to a round are disclosed on the round before contribution.
11. Forward-looking statements
Target multiples, projected durations, and the payout simulator on a round are estimates only. Actual outcomes depend on judicial decisions, settlement dynamics, defendant solvency, and many factors beyond Colit's control. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees.
12. Regulatory framework
Colit intends to operate each tier under its corresponding exemption (Reg CF, Reg A+, Reg D 506(c)), with the required intermediary relationships, filings, and investor verification. Implementing those compliance rails, along with KYC and real-money settlement, is roadmap work; the current platform operates with platform balance units for demonstration. Nothing here is an offer to sell securities.
13. On-chain settlement (roadmap)
The funding, refund, and waterfall logic runs off-chain today. The design path is to migrate the trust-minimized parts (escrow, the waterfall, position ownership) to audited smart contracts with stablecoin settlement, while KYC and fiat conversion remain at regulated edges. On-chain components are not yet live; smart-contract risk will apply once they are.
14. Privacy
We collect the information needed to operate accounts and, where required by a tier, to verify identity and eligibility. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and we do not sell user data. Data-subject requests: privacy@colit.io.
15. Demo data
The seeded demo / demo account and all demonstration rounds and balances are illustrative, flagged internally, and not real offerings or real money. They are clearly separated from any real data and can be removed without affecting it.
This document is provided for informational purposes and does not constitute investment, legal, or tax advice, nor an offer to sell or a solicitation to buy any security. All investments involve risk including total loss. Past results do not predict future outcomes. This page may be amended; the most recent version governs.