When cash is advanced to a plaintiff in a personal injury lawsuit, it is often referred to as a “lawsuit loan,†but it is not really a “loan.†Lawsuit loans are, in fact, non-recourse advances. “Non-recourse†means that lawsuit loans are only repaid should the recipient of the loan secure a settlement from his or her pending legal claim. Should the recipient of the lawsuit loan fail to reach a settlement, he or she keeps the money from the lawsuit loan and the company that made the lawsuit loan writes it off as a loss.