Houston-based Ascend Performance Material and eight of its affiliated businesses filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Monday citing $1 billion to $10 billion in liabilities, according to its filing in the Southern District of Texas.
Litigation Roundup: AT&T Beats Back $57M FCC Fine
In this edition of Litigation Roundup, a bench trial to determine whether the U.S. Trustee can clawback millions in fees awarded to Jackson Walker for work done on certain bankruptcy cases is officially canceled, personal injury lawyer Thomas J. Henry hires David J. Beck to defend his trademark and a longtime Dallas judge makes a big announcement.
Judge Lopez: No Do-Overs for Lawyers in J&J Talc Powder Bankruptcy Dispute
Less than 48 hours after lawyers representing some of the thousands of women claiming that Johnson & Johnson talc powder caused their ovarian cancer asked a Houston judge for “a do-over” and to reconsider his ruling dismissing their efforts to reach a settlement agreement through the bankruptcy court, the judge issued his answer Thursday: No can do.

Mikal Watts to J&J Bankruptcy Judge: Give Us a ‘Do Over’
Some plaintiffs’ lawyers representing tens of thousands of women claiming that Johnson & Johnson talc powder caused their ovarian cancer have asked a Houston judge to give them a second chance. Attorneys representing different groups of women asked U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Lopez to reverse his March 31 decision to dismiss the Chapter 11 bankruptcy petition filed by Red River Talc, a subsidiary of J&J, but to allow the parties to either fix the flaws in the previous petition or to send the entire case to mediation. But an opposing group of lawyers who also represent more than 20,000 women, including 465 women in the Dallas area, told The Texas Lawbook Wednesday that this new effort to reopen the bankruptcy is just another attempt by J&J “to force unreasonably low settlements on women already suffering from life-threatening illness and financial hardship.”
Kirkland, Norton Rose Fulbright to Advise Clean Energy Business in Billion-dollar Bankruptcy
California-based Global Clean Energy Holdings, a renewable fuels company, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the Southern District of Texas early Wednesday. Citing between $1 billion and $10 billion in liabilities and assets in its original petition, Global Clean Energy and 15 of its affiliated companies hired Kirkland & Ellis as its lead legal advisor and Norton Rose Fulbright Houston partner Jason Boland as its local legal bankruptcy counsel.
Bankruptcy Judge Isgur Rips GWG Holdings Trustee’s Lawyers on Lack of Due Process Notice to Investors
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Marvin Isgur ended a hearing Friday morning in the GWG Holdings case after finding lawyers for the trustee had failed to meet their due process obligations under the constitution to provide bondholders with notice of how a proposed settlement would impact them. “I find there is not due process notice and this is not a close call,” he said, adding the effort of the lawyers to inform bondholders, some of whom put their life savings in the company, that they could expect to get back only about 3 percent of what they invested was “completely deficient” and “an embarrassment.”
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 clawback millions in fees awarded to Dallas-based
Jackson Walker. “This unique case nevertheless requires stiff measures. The need to reestablish public trust and
confidence in the court system alone impels withdrawal in this highly unusual case,” she wrote.
Judge Moses to Decide Standing Issue in Ex-Judge Jones Related RICO Case
Roughly one month after deciding a bankruptcy judge should determine whether a former CEO can proceed with his lawsuit alleging he was the victim of a conspiracy carried out in proceedings before former bankruptcy judge David Jones, a federal judge changed her mind this week.
Jackson Walker Reaches Another Bankruptcy Fee Settlement
In paperwork filed with the court Monday, the chief restructuring officer for 4E Brands North America told U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher M. Lopez that the Dallas-based law firm has agreed to pay back $617,000 of what it was awarded for work on the bankruptcy case.
Jackson Walker Reaches First of Potentially Several Settlements in Ex-Judge Jones Bankruptcy Fee Case
Jackson Walker issued a statement to The Lawbook indicating more settlements will be filed soon. “We have always said that we regret being misled in this matter by our former partner, and we have continued to proactively reach out to other parties to try to resolve this matter in a constructive fashion,” the statement reads.
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