Partner
Restructuring & Reorganization
Jessica is a partner in the Restructuring and Reorganization practice group. Her principal areas of practice include the representation of debtors, creditors, and investors in various aspects of complex corporate restructurings, including chapter 11 cases, out-of-court restructurings, and acquisitions. Jessica has represented clients in a range of industries, including gaming, coal, retail, and professional sports.
Enviva Inc., the world’s largest producer of industrial wood pellets as a source of renewable energy, in connection with its comprehensive financial restructuring and chapter 11 bankruptcy cases; the company’s restructuring deleveraged its balance sheet by approximately $1.4 billion while raising approximately $1.3 billion in new-money commitments through a senior secured exit facility and an equity rights offering, and facilitated the renegotiation and preservation of key, long-term customer offtake contracts critical to its business operations
Strategic Materials, Inc., North America’s leading glass recycling company, and certain of its affiliates in their prepackaged chapter 11 cases that deleveraged the company’s capital structure by converting over 65% of the company’s approximately $430 million of prepetition secured funded debt into equity; the prepackaged chapter 11 plan was confirmed within only 37 days of commencing the chapter 11 cases in Houston
Riverstone Holdings LLC, its portfolio company, Talen Energy Corporation (TEC), and TEC’s wholly-owned subsidiary, Cumulus Growth Holdings LLC in the chapter 11 cases of TEC’s wholly-owned subsidiary Talen Energy Supply, LLC, which involved key settlements that paved the way for a consensual reorganization of Talen’s legacy power generation business and the Cumulus data center and cryptomining growth initiatives and allowed Riverstone to retain material equity positions in both TEC and Cumulus Growth
Dhanani Group Inc. and its subsidiaries, the second largest quick-service restaurant franchisee group in the United States, with 849 restaurants across 23 states, in connection with an out-of-court workout and refinancing in the form of a $500 million credit facility provided by a group of lenders led by Monarch Alternative Capital LP
Jonah Energy in connection with its out-of-court restructuring, which deleveraged the Company’s balance sheet by approximately $580 million through a combination of transactions including a cash tender offer for any and all of Jonah’s existing senior unsecured notes, the redemption of all non-tendered notes, a fully-backstopped equity rights offering to fund $85 million of new equity investment from all eligible existing noteholders, and entry into an amended and restated credit facility with an initial borrowing base of $750 million
Meritage Midstream in an out-of-court restructuring involving a new $75 million debt investment by Riverstone Holdings, amendment and extension of Meritage’s $500 million credit facility, and resolution of protracted litigation with a significant contractor
Riverstone Credit Partners as administrative agent and lender on behalf of a syndicate of lenders under a $410 million term loan facility in the restructuring of MTE Holdings and its subsequent chapter 11 cases and related litigation; engagement evolved to representation in connection with acquisition of debtor’s assets by lender affiliate pursuant to a chapter 11 plan
Standard Fiber LLC, as a creditor in connection with the ongoing chapter 11 proceedings of The Northwest Company, LLC
CSI Compressco in an out-of-court exchange process whereby approximately 72.7% of the company’s existing unsecured notes were exchanged for new senior secured first and second lien notes, which, among other things, resulted in a multi-year maturity extension for the exchanged notes
Blackstone Energy Partners L.P. and its portfolio company, Gavilan Resources, LLC, in an ongoing dispute with joint venture partner Sanchez Energy Corporation under their joint development agreement and in connection with Sanchez Energy Corporation’s chapter 11 cases
Cloud Peak Energy in the sale of substantially all their operating assets to an affiliate of the Navajo Nation as part of its chapter 11 cases involving approximately $350 million in funded debt and over $750 million in total liabilities
TPG and Providence Equity Partners in connection with the restructuring of portfolio company Rentpath, Inc.
Riverstone Credit Partners in its role as secured lender and DIP lender in the chapter 11 bankruptcy case of Elk Petroleum, Inc.
Taco Bueno Restaurants in a prepetition debt sale transaction followed by an in-court restructuring in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas that involved equitizing $140 million in senior secured debt, transitioning ownership to an affiliate of Sun Holdings, Inc., renegotiating a substantial portion of the company’s lease portfolio, and reaching a global settlement with unsecured creditors in fewer than 45 days
Harvey Gulf International Marine, a Jones Act regulated marine transportation company, in all aspects of its complex balance sheet restructuring involving approximately $1.3 billion in senior secured funded debt, and effectuated through prepackaged chapter 11 cases
Petro Harvester Oil & Gas in the out-of-court restructuring of its approximately $142.3 million in first lien debt obligations and successful merger with a strategic partner
Riverstone Holdings in connection with the sale of substantially all of the assets of its portfolio company Enduro Resources Partners LLC
PennEnergy Resources, LLC in connection with its purchase of substantially all of the assets of Rex Energy Corporation for $600.5 million and negotiation of a comprehensive global settlement to the chapter 11 case
Riverstone Holdings in its capacity as second lien lender and private equity sponsor in connection with Fieldwood Energy’s restructuring, including the conversion of more than $1.6 billion in funded debt to equity, its $525 million new money rights offering, and the acquisition of Noble Energy’s deepwater assets in the Gulf of Mexico, all as effectuated through prepackaged chapter 11 cases
Energy XXI, a publicly-traded offshore energy E&P company, in connection with its chapter 11 cases which reduced the company’s funded debt by approximately $3.0 billion
A confidential bidder in connection with SunEdison’s chapter 11 cases
U.S. Oil and Refining in connection with its credit facility amendments and out-of-court restructuring
Rice Energy Inc., an oil and gas exploration and production company, in connection with its stalking horse asset purchase agreement with a subsidiary of Alpha Natural Resources, Inc., to acquire certain assets in central Greene County, Pennsylvania through Alpha’s chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings for $200 million
Sundevil Power Holdings LLC, a merchant power company, in connection with the sale of its power block assets in its chapter 11 case filed in Delaware
Education
Admissions
Client Alerts
On June 27, 2024, the United States Supreme Court (the “Supreme Court” or “Court”) rendered a 5-4 opinion in Harrington v. Purdue Pharma, L.P. that “the [B]ankruptcy [C]ode does not authorize a release and injunction that, as part of a plan of reorganization under Chapter 11, effectively seeks to discharge claims against a nondebtor without the consent of affected claimants.”
June 28, 2024 • V&E Restructuring & Reorganization Update
June 28, 2024 • 7-minute read
Client Alerts
On May 30, 2023, the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit (the “Second Circuit” or the “Court”) rendered a much anticipated opinion (the “Opinion”),1 reversing the order of the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York (the “District Court”) that the Bankruptcy Code does not permit non-consensual third-party releases of direct claims and affirming the order of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York (the “Bankruptcy Court”) confirming the chapter 11 plan (the “Purdue Plan”) of Purdue Pharma L.P. (“Purdue”), which approved non-consensual third-party releases of the owners of Purdue — members of the Sackler family.
June 6, 2023 • V&E Restructuring & Reorganization Update
June 6, 2023 • 7-minute read
Client Alerts
On March 28, 2023, the United States District Court for the District of Delaware (the “District Court”) rendered an opinion (the “Opinion”)1 affirming the confirmation order of Laurie S. Silverstein, of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware (the “Bankruptcy Court”) that confirmed the chapter 11 plan (the “Plan”) of the Boy Scouts of America (“BSA”) (collectively, the “Confirmation Order”).2
May 2, 2023 • V&E Restructuring & Reorganization Update
May 2, 2023 • 8-minute read
Client Alerts
Silicon Valley Bank FDIC Takeover
Silicon Valley Bank (“SVB”), a key lender serving customers and borrowers primarily in the technology industry, was taken over by U.S. regulators on Friday, March 10, 2023. Included herein are considerations that may be top of mind for persons with connections to SVB.
March 12, 2023 • V&E Restructuring & Reorganization Update
March 12, 2023 • 2-minute read
Client Alerts
In Sanofi-Aventis U.S. LLC v. Mallinckrodt PLC, the United States District Court for the District of Delaware ruled that a debtor that purchased intellectual property under a prepetition asset purchase agreement could continue to retain and use the property post-confirmation while discharging its obligations to pay any future royalties otherwise owed.
January 23, 2023 • V&E Restructuring & Reorganization Update
January 23, 2023 • 5-minute read
