Mark Walter used PWHL trademarks as collateral against a loan, this week sold his stake in Chelsea FC, and is facing a new class-action lawsuit according to reports.
Mark Walter, owner of the PWHL, has been under investigation for possible fraud related to billions of dollars in related-party investments through insurance companies he controls.
Walter not only owns the PWHL, but he holds ownership in several other sports organizations from professional baseball, basketball, soccer, and auto racing. Over the last three months however, many of those teams and ownership stakes have been discussed in different terms. The discussion has shifted from championships, like Walter's Los Angeles Dodgers, to assets that can be liquidated.
Less than a year after purchasing the NBA's Los Angeles Lakers, Walter flipped the team for a $2.5 billion profit on his original valuation, selling his stake with the team valued at $12.5 billion compared to the $10 billion he paid. It came at a time however, when up to $20 billion in loans made to Walter-related companies were under scrutiny, and Walter's Delaware Life needing to slash $6.5 billion in related loans and investments, along with Cedar Springs Life needing to move $90 million in related dealings.
This week, Walter finalized a deal to sell his 12.8% of Chelsea FC, a club valued at $6.75 billion. Those efforts had been ongoing prior to issues facing Walter's insurance companies, but only re-intensified following the announcement of the federal investigation into Walter and his compnies.
This week however, after a user posted the filing on Reddit, it's come to light that Walter has also used the PWHL as an asset in this ongoing saga. Back in June, Walter put up the PWHL's trademarked name, and logo, among other assets such as the Jocks In Jills podcast name, as collateral for a loan with HPS Investment Partners LLC, a company owned by BlackRock. It was a move filed by Richard Moore, an executive vice president at TWG Global.
Despite asserts that Walter is not planning to sell the PWHL, it is a clear shift in the messaging. Among the many sports franchises and investments held by Mark Walter and his subsidiary companies, the Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) is not a project or passion, it's an asset, capable of being leveraged.
The PWHL itself stated there is “absolutely no expected change to ownership of PWHL."
PWHL Advisory Board member Stan Kasten reiterated the position saying it remains "all systems go with the PWHL."
The PWHL also, for the first time, brought in a pair of outside investors this year in Ilitch Companies in Detroit led by Chris Ilitch, and Kilmer Sports Ventures led by Larry Tanenbaum in Toronto. Kilmer Sports Ventures was reported to have invested $100 million USD.
Walter placing the PWHL branding as collateral for a loan is not rare. Trademarks are a common asset leveraged for loans. Putting the PWHL's brands up as collateral does not mean Walter is at risk of losing ownership of those trademarks. It could however, restrict how the PWHL is able to use its own brands. Often, utilizing a trademark as collateral could result in oversight and consent from the loan holder for a company to further license the names or logos.
There does however, remain an element of risk were Walter to default on the loan.
New Class-Action Lawsuit Facing Walter
Mark Walter's Delaware Life Insurance Company, Clear Spring Life and Annuity, TWG Global Holdings, and Guggenheim Partners were recently named in a new class-action lawsuit according to multiple reports, due to the alleged concealment of a federal investigation into financial fraud involving the use of policy holders' money.
According to a report published by The Athletic, the heart of the new class-action lawsuit is the idea that Walter's companies "misled policyholders about the structure of their annuity packages by secretly sending their money into a fund feuling Walter’s larger business network."
The lawsuit was filed by a 67-year-old Florida resident named Ira Rosner who claimed Walter's companies concealed the fact they were facing federal investigation from the US Attorney's Office and SEC when Rosner purchased his policy in April of 2026.
The class-action lawsuit, is aiming to represent those who purchased policies missing a penalty-free 30-day window to cancel their policies while the insurers named in the lawsuit knew, but did disclose that they were under investigation.
