Thomas Lauria

Hertz Global
Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. and certain affiliates in their chapter 11 cases and global restructuring matters. Hertz completed its successful chapter 11 restructuring and its plan of reorganization became effective on June 30, 2021. This representation is one of the highest profile restructurings arising from the COVID-19 pandemic and one of the most successful chapter 11 and international reorganizations in recent history.

Swissport
Representation of Swissport, the world's leading provider of airport ground services and air cargo handling, on its comprehensive restructuring and recapitalization. The restructuring provided Swissport with a delevered and strengthened balance sheet by addressing approximately €1.9 billion of existing debt, and left the business with improved liquidity with which to withstand the ongoing challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

GT Real Estate Holdings
Representation of GT Real Estate Holdings, LLC in its chapter 11 case filed in Delaware to facilitate the wind-down of a proposed mixed-use real estate development planned to include a practice facility for the Carolina Panthers, as well as the resolution of all related claims.

Dynegy Inc.
Advised the company, one of the largest generators of electricity in the United States, in connection with the innovative refinancing and restructuring of over US$6 billion of debt and obligations, which was completed through a chapter 11 plan in the Southern District of New York.

The Los Angeles Dodgers
The Dodgers, one of Major League Baseball's most storied franchises, filed for bankruptcy protection in Delaware to preserve Frank McCourt's continued ownership of the team. Thomas and a team of the Firm’s lawyers represented Major League Baseball in successful negotiations for the sale of the team to new ownership, in a record-setting US$2.15 billion transaction.

Chrysler
Represented holders of portions of Chrysler's approximately US$7 billion in first-lien secured debt in opposing the reorganization of Chrysler through a Section 363 sale of substantially all Chrysler's assets. As widely reported, Thomas and his team pressed the dispute to the US Supreme Court, where they initially obtained a stay of the sale (which the Court subsequently vacated to permit the sale to close), and later won the vacature of the Second Circuit's ruling on the sale.

Washington Mutual
Following the largest bank failure in US history, Thomas and a team of the Firm’s lawyers represented the Ad Hoc Committee of senior noteholders, the senior-most stakeholders in this US$327 billion chapter 11 bankruptcy. The full amount of the debt was successfully recovered, as well as substantially all of the accrued interest thereon.

Mirant Corporation
Served as debtors' lead counsel in the company’s successful chapter 11 reorganization in the Northern District of Texas. This matter involved more than US$10 billion in debt—the largest US bankruptcy in 2003, and one of the largest energy sector bankruptcy filings in US history. Mirant Corporation is one of the largest producers, generators and marketers of electricity in the world.

Visteon Corp.
Represented a group of bondholders who led the negotiation and financing of Visteon's successful exit from chapter 11. Visteon is one of the largest auto-parts manufacturers in the world.

Texas Rangers Baseball Partners
Represented an investor group led by Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan and sports attorney Chuck Greenberg in their successful effort to purchase the Texas Rangers baseball club out of chapter 11 in August 2010 — thereby enabling them to lead the team to its first-ever World Series appearance.

Six Flags Amusement Parks
Thomas and his team represented an ad hoc group of parent-level noteholders in their successful effort to acquire Six Flags — one of the largest amusement park operators in the world, which was then in chapter 11 - by raising sufficient new debt and equity financing to over-take the company's previously proposed plan, which would have provided the parent-level lenders with a de minimis recovery.

Adelphia Communications
This was one of the largest and most complex bankruptcies ever filed in the Southern District of New York, involving more than US$18 billion in assets. Thomas and a team of the Firm’s lawyers acted as counsel to the Ad Hoc Committee of Arahova Noteholders, a group of large financial institutions and funds which held a substantial portion of the US$1.75 billion of notes issued by Adelphia's indirect subsidiary, Arahova Communications. Through the Firm’s efforts, the Arahova Noteholders received total consideration valued at an amount roughly equal to the full par amount of the notes plus all accrued interest, after defeating a plan that would have paid them only a small fraction of what they were owed.