Matthew C. Brown
Biography
Overview
Mr. Brown joined White & Case in 2005 and is a partner in the Firm's Global Financial Restructuring and Insolvency Practice Group. His practice focuses on a broad range of domestic and international business reorganization and restructuring matters, including the representation of debtors in possession, creditors committees, institutional creditors and purchasers of distressed assets acting in various capacities.
Prior to joining White & Case in 2005, Mr. Brown served as law clerk to the Honorable E. Stephen Derby of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Maryland.
Experience
The Hertz Corporation, Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: HTZ), and certain of their subsidiaries, in connection with the company's successful restructuring of nearly US$19 billion of debt and obligations through a Chapter 11 plan of reorganization. This transaction was named the 2021 "Restructuring Deal of the Year" by the International Financial Law Review and the 2022 "Mega Company Turnaround/Transaction of the Year" by the Turnaround Management Association Awards.
Strike, LLC and its affiliated debtors in the sale of substantially all of their assets and confirmation of a liquidating plan in their chapter 11 cases.
Affiliates of LS Power in the sale of interests in Sandy Creek Energy Associates, L.P. ("SCEA"), owner of an undivided interest in a coal-fired power generating plant located in the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, to a group of SCEA's lenders in connection with the restructuring of SCEA's approximately US$1 billion of secured funded debt.
Sempra Energy (NYSE: SRE), a Fortune 500 energy services holding company, in its US$9.45 billion all-cash acquisition of Energy Future Holdings Corp., which indirectly owns 80% of Oncor Electric Delivery Company, LLC, an operator of the largest electric transmission and distribution system in Texas. The transaction, which created the largest utility holding company in the US, valued Oncor at US$18.8 billion. This transaction was named "M&A Deal of the Year" by The Deal in 2018.
The Ad Hoc Group of TCEH Unsecured Noteholders, comprised of holders of approximately US$2.7 billion of unsecured notes issued by Texas Competitive Electric Holdings Company, LLC, in the chapter 11 cases of Energy Future Holdings Corp. and its subsidiaries, where the White & Case team successfully defeated a prepetition restructuring support agreement and designed an alternative plan of reorganization that garnered the support of nearly all stakeholders, was confirmed, and provided for the tax-free spin-off of EFH's merchant energy business to satisfy more than US$25 billion of secured debt and provided the members of the Ad Hoc Group and certain other creditors the opportunity to realize substantial upside value through ownership of EFH's regulated utility Oncor, Texas's largest utility.
The Ad Hoc Group of LightSquared LP Secured Lenders, comprised of holders of approximately US$1.5 billion of secured loans made to LightSquared LP, in the protracted and contentious chapter 11 cases of LightSquared Inc. and its subsidiaries, providers of satellite-communications services, where the White & Case team obtained a full recovery for the LightSquared LP lenders despite the fact that the loans had been trading well below par at the commencement of the cases.
Dynegy Inc., one of the largest generators of electricity in the United States, in connection with the company's restructuring of over US$6 billion of debt and obligations through a Chapter 11 plan of reorganization.
Natural Products Group, LLC and certain of its subsidiaries, including Arbonne International, LLC and Levlad, LLC, leaders in the manufacture and distribution of personal care products under the Arbonne and Nature's Gate brands, in connection with their restructuring of approximately US$750 million in debt pursuant to a prepackaged Chapter 11 plan of reorganization. Natural Products Group and its domestic subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions on 27 January 2010, confirmed their plan of reorganization less than a month later, on 22 February 2010, and closed the deal on 5 March 2010. Through the restructuring, the company reduced its debt obligations by more than 80 percent.
WCI Communities, Inc. and 126 of its subsidiaries, leading developers of luxury homes and condominium towers, in connection with their restructuring of approximately US$2 billion in debt through a Chapter 11 plan of reorganization. WCI was one of the largest home builders to seek Chapter 11 relief in the housing market downturn, and the case involved the first settlement of Chinese drywall claims by a large-scale homebuilder. White & Case's innovative strategies and credibility with the company's various stakeholders allowed WCI to emerge as a deleveraged lifestyle community developer and land-holding company with the flexibility to continue its business in unprecedented times.
Global Power Equipment Group and its domestic subsidiaries, leading providers of power generation equipment and specialty maintenance services to domestic and international energy customers, in connection with their restructuring through a consensual Chapter 11 plan of reorganization that provided for a full recovery to substantially all creditors and allowed existing shareholders to retain a material stake in the company.
