A New York appeals court has handed a major victory to freelance journalist Jim Edwards in a nearly four-year battle to gain access to court documents that he claims contain information about a multimillion-dollar kickback scheme involving international advertising agency Grey Global Group.

In a huge setback for Countrywide Financial Corp., the 3rd Circuit has revived a national class action brought by homebuyers who accused the lender of a kickback scheme in which buyers were required to purchase mortgage insurance from one of a handful of companies that in turn took out reinsurance policies from one of Countrywide’s wholly owned subsidiaries.

In a huge setback for Countrywide Financial Corp., the 3rd Circuit has revived a national class action brought by homebuyers who accused the lender of a kickback scheme in which buyers were required to purchase mortgage insurance from one of a handful of companies that in turn took out reinsurance policies from one of Countrywide’s wholly owned subsidiaries. A lower court had dismissed the case, finding the buyers could never show they had been “overcharged” and had no right to sue under RESPA’s anti-kickback provisions.

Former insurers of securities class action firm Milberg waited too long to rescind coverage and sue for repayment of money spent defending the firm in a probe of a $251 million kickback scheme, a New York federal judge has ruled, holding that the carriers knew the law firm was under indictment, yet failed to act. “The law does not protect the plaintiff who turns a blind eye to such information,” the judge wrote, ruling the carriers’ rescission claims were untimely under New York’s six-year statute of limitations.