Elizabeth Jones
Overview
Experience
Representative Matters
HONX, Inc. — Representing HONX, Inc., in its Chapter 11 case filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. HONX is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Hess Corporation, the global energy company. HONX and its corporate predecessors have for decades been subject to ongoing asbestos-related litigation in connection with HONX’s former ownership and operation of an oil refinery on St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. HONX filed its Chapter 11 case with the goal of establishing and funding a trust under section 524(g) of the Bankruptcy Code to resolve and pay all valid current and future asbestos-related claims asserted against HONX.
Riverbed Technology, Inc. — Representing Riverbed Technology, Inc. and three of its affiliates in their prepackaged Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Riverbed is a leading provider of IT optimization products and services, including a suite of best-in-class network visibility, management and performance enhancement solutions to many of the world’s largest organizations. Riverbed commenced its Chapter 11 cases with a fully solicited plan and the support of 100% of its first lien and second lien lenders. Pursuant to the Chapter 11 plan, Riverbed will eliminate approximately $1.1 billion of its funded debt and will receive $100 million in new capital.
Katerra Inc. — Representing Katerra Inc. and its subsidiaries in their Chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Katerra is an innovative and eco-conscious construction company with facilities across the globe that develops, manufactures, and markets products and services in the commercial and residential construction spaces. Katerra commenced its chapter 11 cases with the goal of facilitating a marketing and sale process for its assets to maximize value and creditor recoveries.
Navient Solutions LLC — Represented Navient Solutions LLC in securing dismissal of an involuntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceeding filed in the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Navient is a leader in education loan management and business processing solutions for education, healthcare, and government entities. The Bankruptcy Court dismissed the involuntary case just two weeks after it commenced.
Frontera Generation Holdings LLC — Represented Frontera Generation Holdings LLC and five of its affiliates in their prearranged Chapter 11 cases filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Frontera owns and operates the only U.S.-based power plant that sells all of its 526MW/year power production to the Mexican wholesale market. The restructuring, which had nearly-universal lender support, enabled Frontera to obtain $70 million of new liquidity through a DIP-to-exit facility, slash more than $850 million of its $944 million debt load, and pay its trade claims in full.
Oasis Petroleum Inc. — Representing Oasis Petroleum Inc. and its affiliates in prepackaged Chapter 11 cases filed in the Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas to restructure approximately $2.3 billion in debt obligations. Oasis is a Houston, Texas based company that operates in the upstream and midstream oil and gas sectors. Oasis also operates a midstream business segment and holds a majority interest non-debtor subsidiary Oasis Midstream Partners LP, which is a publicly traded master limited partnership. The Chapter 11 plan equitizes more than $1.8 billion of unsecured debt and provides for committed DIP to exit financing.
Denbury Resources Inc. — Representing Denbury Resources Inc. and 17 of its affiliates in their prepackaged Chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Denbury is an independent oil and natural gas company headquartered in Plano, Texas, with onshore production and development activities in the Gulf Coast and Rocky Mountains regions. Denbury is the only United States-based public company of scale with a primary focus on sustainable carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery. With approximately $2.5 billion in funded debt, Denbury entered bankruptcy with a Restructuring Support Agreement that carries broad creditor support and provides for a comprehensive financial restructuring that will equitize all $2.1 billion of Denbury’s notes and committed debtor-in-possession and exit financing from Denbury’s existing lenders.
Lakeland Tours, LLP — Representing Lakeland Tours, LLP d/b/a WorldStrides (“WorldStrides”) and certain of its affiliates in their prepackaged Chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. WorldStrides is a provider of educational travel experiences both domestically and abroad and filed for Chapter 11 to restructure more than $768 million of funded indebtedness after the worldwide shutdown of travel due to COVID-19 negatively impacted their businesses during their peak tour operating season.
Technicolor S.A. — Representing Technicolor S.A. (“Technicolor”), a Paris-based global leader in content creation to distribution for Hollywood studios, independent filmmakers, music producers, and video game and software developers in its Chapter 15 proceeding pending before the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. The Chapter 15 proceeding is part of a comprehensive restructuring strategy to raise €420 million in new financing and refinance Technicolor’s existing $477.8 million and €977 million of funded debt through an accelerated financial safeguard proceeding under French law. Technicolor and its subsidiaries together employ more than 14,000 artists, experts, engineers, and innovators operating in 27 key media markets worldwide, including the United States, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom.
Akorn, Inc. — Representing Akorn, Inc. and certain subsidiaries (“Akorn”), a specialty generic pharmaceuticals company with approximately $861.7 million of funded indebtedness, in their Chapter 11 cases filed in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware.
Sheridan Holding Company I, LLC — Represented Sheridan Holding Company I, LLC and certain affiliates in the first one-day Chapter 11 case in Texas history in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, Sheridan I obtained confirmation of its prepackaged Chapter 11 plan of reorganization by video conference on March 24, 2020, one day after Sheridan I filed for Chapter 11. Headquartered in Houston, Texas, Sheridan I is the first of three series of Sheridan oil and natural gas investment funds. Sheridan I’s prepackaged equitization restructuring eliminated approximately $470 million of funded debt and left general unsecured creditors unimpaired.
Pier 1 Imports, Inc. — Representing Pier 1 Imports, Inc. and its subsidiaries in their Chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Pier 1 is a publicly-traded omnichannel retailer specializing in home furnishings and décor with 923 stores in the United States and Canada.
Murray Energy Holdings Co. — Representing Murray Energy Holdings Co. and certain of its subsidiaries in their Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Ohio. Murray is the largest privately-owned coal company in the United States, headquartered in St. Clairsville, Ohio, and has operations primarily in Ohio, West Virginia, Kentucky, Alabama, Illinois, Utah, and Colombia, South America. Murray employs nearly 5,500 people, including approximately 2,400 active union members. Murray entered Chapter 11 with approximately $2.7 billion in prepetition funded debt and more than $8 billion in actual or potential pension and employee benefit obligations.
Sheridan Holding Company II, LLC — Represented Sheridan Holding Company II, LLC, and certain affiliates in their prepackaged Chapter 11 restructuring in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Sheridan II is the second of three series of Sheridan oil and natural gas investment funds. Sheridan II’s prepackaged restructuring addressed over $1.1 billion of funded debt obligations through an equitization which had near universal creditor support and left general unsecured creditors unimpaired.
Blackhawk Mining LLC — Represented Blackhawk Mining LLC and its affiliates on the debtor-in-possession and exit financings in connection with their prepackaged Chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Blackhawk is a leading metallurgical coal producer based in Lexington, Kentucky, and has operations primarily in West Virginia and Kentucky. Blackhawk employs more than 2,800 employees. Blackhawk entered Chapter 11 to implement a prepackaged plan of reorganization that will eliminate approximately $650 million of the Company’s nearly $1.1 billion in prepetition funded debt.
Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. — Representing Deluxe Entertainment Services Group Inc. and certain of its affiliates in their prepackaged Chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Deluxe is a leading content creation-to-distribution company that provides digital media services to Hollywood studios, independent filmmakers, television networks, online content producers, and brands. The Deluxe Chapter 11 cases were filed with a prepackaged plan of reorganization that will consensually reorganize Deluxe by exchanging its secured debt for equity in the reorganized company.
Clerk & Government Experience
FellowSupreme Court of the United States2018–2019
Judicial ClerkHonorable Judge Elizabeth S. StongUnited States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York2017–2018
More
Thought Leadership
Publications
Co-Author, “The Treatment of MAAP Payments in Bankruptcy,” Journal of Corporate Renewal (JCR), official publication of the Turnaround Management Association (TMA), September 2021
Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- 2018New York
Education
- University of Michigan Law SchoolJ.D.2017
Book Award, Mergers and Acquisitions
Michigan Law Review
- Walla Walla UniversityB.S., Business Administration; English Minorsumma cum laude2013