Noelle Howard
Overview
Experience
Representative Matters
Digital Media Solutions, Inc. — Representing Digital Media Solutions, Inc. and 36 of its affiliates in their Chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Digital Media Solutions is a leading technology-enabled advertising company that leverages its advanced technology and proprietary customer data to connect its customers efficiently and effectively with their target consumers. Digital Medial Solutions filed the Chapter 11 cases with the support of its prepetition lenders through the funding of an approximately $122 million debtor-in-possession financing facility consisting of $30 million in new money and approximately $92 million in a “roll-up” of prepetition debt. The prepetition lenders serving as the DIP lenders also entered into a stalking horse agreement with Digital Media Solutions for a $95 million credit bid, subject to higher or otherwise better bids.
Sonder Holdings Inc. — Representation of Sonder Holdings Inc. and its subsidiaries (“Sonder”), a global brand of premium, design-forward apartments and intimate boutique hotels, in a transformational out-of-court restructuring, consisting of approximately $146 million of incremental liquidity, including an approximately $43 million preferred equity capital raise. These transactions executed contemporaneously with a strategic long-term licensing agreement with Marriott International, Inc. and provided access to significant new money investments, strengthening Sonder’s financial and liquidity position.
SmileDirectClub, Inc. — Representation of SmileDirectClub, Inc. and eight of its affiliates in their Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. SmileDirect is an industry leader in telehealth-driven clear aligner therapy with approximately $900 million in funded debt. Through its Chapter 11 cases, the Company obtained access to up to $80 million of debtor-in-possession financing and will seek to implement a going concern transaction following a comprehensive marketing process.
Learfield Communications, LLC — Representation of Learfield Communications, LLC and its affiliates, a leading media and technology company in the college sports market, in a nearly $1 billion out-of-court restructuring with unanimous support from Learfield’s existing lenders and equity sponsors. The transactions substantially delevered Learfield’s balance sheet and provided access to significant new money equity investments, strengthening Learfield’s financial and liquidity positions.
HONX, Inc. — Representation of HONX, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Hess Corporation, in its successful Chapter 11 case filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. HONX and its corporate predecessors had for decades been subject to thousands of asbestos-related personal injury claims in connection with HONX’s former ownership and operation of an oil refinery on St. Croix, in the U.S. Virgin Islands. HONX filed its Chapter 11 bankruptcy case in April 2022 with the goal of fully and finally resolving all asbestos-related personal injury claims that were or could be asserted against HONX and Hess in one forum, using section 524(g) of the Bankruptcy Code. HONX confirmed its plan utilizing a section 524(g) channeling injunction in less than two years at a confirmation hearing jointly presided over by Judge Alfred H. Bennett of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas and Judge Marvin P. Isgur of the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Pursuant to the plan, HONX established a settlement trust, funded with up to $190 million from Hess, to satisfy all valid current and future asbestos claims, which resulted in prompt and fair compensation for claimants and finality from current and potential future asbestos tort litigation for HONX and Hess.
Compute North Holdings, Inc. — Representation of Generate Capital, a sustainable infrastructure investment and operating firm, in its successful Chapter 11 purchase of two bitcoin mega-mining facilities: a 300 MW facility in Wolf Hollow, TX and a 100 MW facility in Kearny, Nebraska. The section 363 sale was approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc. — Representation of Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc. and 73 of its affiliates in their Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey. Bed Bath & Beyond, then the largest home goods retailer in the United States, offered everything from bed linens to cookware to home organization, baby care and more. Through its Chapter 11 case, Bed Bath & Beyond conducted a value maximizing sale transaction for substantially all of its intellectual property assets and an orderly wind down of its business pursuant to a consensual Chapter 11 plan.
Cyxtera Technologies Inc. — Representation of Cyxtera Technologies Inc. (CYTX) and its affiliates (“Cyxtera”) in their prearranged Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey. Cyxtera is a NASDAQ-traded global leader in data center colocation and interconnection services, providing an innovative suite of connected and intelligently-automated infrastructure and interconnection solutions to more than 2,300 leading enterprises, service providers, and government agencies around the world. Cyxtera filed for Chapter 11 protection in June 2023 with over $1 billion in funded debt obligations and over $1 billion in long-term lease obligations to pursue a sale transaction and/or a recapitalization transaction as contemplated under a Restructuring Support Agreement supported by a supermajority of its existing first lien lenders. Cyxtera also filed with a $200 million committed DIP financing facility provided by certain of its first lien lenders.
Clerk & Government Experience
Judicial ExternHonorable Judge Jil Mazer-MarinoUnited States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of New York2022
More
Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- 2023New York
Education
- Benjamin N. Cardozo School of LawJ.D.magna cum laude2022
Jacob Burns Medal Recipient
Heyman Scholar
Business Manager, Cardozo Law Review
- Pace UniversityB.A., Economicssumma cum laude2019