WDTX Chief Judge Removes Jackson Walker Bankruptcy Fee Cases from SDTX Chief Bankruptcy Judge

Chief U.S. District Judge for the Western District of Texas, Alia Moses, has taken control of the 34 bankruptcy cases where the U.S. Trustee is seeking to claw back millions in fees awarded to Dallas-based Jackson Walker.

In a seven-page order issued Wednesday, Chief Judge Moses granted a request from the U.S. Trustee, the watchdog of the bankruptcy system, to move the cases out of the courtroom of Chief U.S. Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of Texas, Eduardo V. Rodriguez. The trustee is trying to recover fees in cases that were overseen by former judge David Jones, who resigned the bench after a previously secret romantic relationship with a former Jackson Walker bankruptcy partner, Elizabeth Freeman, was publicly reported. The cases the U.S. trustee is targeting are those where Jones served as judge or mediator.