Evan Swager
Overview
Experience
Representative Matters
Hoonigan — Representation of Hoonigan and 26 of its affiliates (collectively, “Hoonigan”) in their prepackaged cases filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Hoonigan is a global designer and supplier of premium aftermarket automotive products, reaching millions of customers through a broad network of distributors, e-commerce platforms, and digital content. Hoonigan commenced its prepackaged cases with a consensual deal with a majority of its debtholders and sponsor that contemplates eliminating approximately $1.2 billion of its $1.7 billion prepetition funded debt and leaving general unsecured claims unimpaired.
Thrasio — Representation of Thrasio Holdings, Inc. and 240 of its affiliates in their prearranged Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey. Thrasio is the largest aggregator of Amazon brands in the world. Thrasio entered Chapter 11 with a restructuring support agreement widely supported by its lenders, and, upon exit from Chapter 11, comprehensively restructured over $3 billion of funded debt and preferred equity obligations and injected $90 million of new money financing into the go-forward business.
W&T Offshore, Inc. — Representation of W&T Offshore, Inc. (NYSE: WTI), a leading independent oil and natural gas producer with operations offshore in the Gulf of Mexico, in its successful acquisition of six fields in shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico from the Chapter 11 estates of Cox Operating, LLC. The six fields acquired each include a 100% working interest and an average 82% net revenue interest. The section 363 sale was approved by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas.
Wheels Up Experience Inc. — Representation of Wheels Up Experience Inc., a provider of on-demand private aviation services, in its strategic partnership with a consortium of investors led by Delta Air Lines, Certares Management LLC, Knighthead Capital Management LLC, and Cox Enterprises. The transaction provided Wheels Up with a new $500 million credit facility through a debt and equity capital raise, and allowed customers to keep all outstanding flight credits. With a greatly enhanced liquidity position, Wheels Up is poised to execute on its business plan.
Benefytt Technologies, Inc. — Representation of Benefytt Technologies, Inc. and certain of its affiliates (“Benefytt”) in their prearranged Chapter 11 cases filed in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Benefytt markets and sells Medicare and private health insurance products to individuals, policy administration platforms to insurance carriers, and technology systems to insurance agents. The widely-supported restructuring support agreement (“RSA”) contemplated restructuring approximately $606 million in funded debt. Benefytt consummated the transactions set forth in the RSA and emerged from Chapter 11 on an expedited timeline.
Carvana Co. — Representation of Carvana Co. (“Carvana”), the leading e-commerce platform for buying and selling used cars, in a consensual liability management transaction formally supported by approximately 90% of Carvana’s existing noteholders. Through the contemplated transactions, including an exchange offer, extension of maturities, at-the-market equity raise, and equity investment from Carvana’s founders, Carvana expects to deleverage its balance sheet by $1.2 billion and reduce its interest expenses by $430 million a year for the next two years.
Center for Autism and Related Disorders, LLC — Representation of Center for Autism and Related Disorders, LLC (“CARD”) and four of its affiliates in their Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. CARD is one of the nation’s largest treatment providers for individuals diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Prior to filing for Chapter 11, CARD entered into a stalking horse asset purchase agreement for a going-concern sale of substantially all of CARD’s assets. CARD intends to use the Chapter 11 cases to run a competitive sale and bidding process to maximize enterprise value. CARD entered the Chapter 11 cases with a new money, delayed draw term loan debtor-in-possession financing facility from the company’s prepetition credit facility lenders.
Voyager Digital Holdings, Inc. — Representation of Voyager Digital Holdings, Inc. and its affiliates in their Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Voyager Digital is one of the largest cryptocurrency platforms in the world, allowing customers to buy, sell, trade, and store more than 100 cryptocurrencies and supporting over $1.3 billion in aggregate cryptocurrency holdings on the platform. Voyager’s Chapter 11 cases mark one of the first restructurings of a major cryptocurrency company.
Carlson Travel, Inc. — Representation of Carlson Travel, Inc. and 37 of its affiliates (“CWT”) in the fastest cross-border prepackaged restructuring transaction to date. On November 12, 2021, the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas entered an order confirming CWT’s prepackaged Chapter 11 plan of reorganization, just 18 hours after commencing bankruptcy proceedings. CWT is a leader in business travel management with over 12,000 employees and operations in 140 countries and territories around the world. As a result of the restructuring, CWT eliminated almost $900 million of its $1.6 billion of debt, secured access to $775 million of exit facilities and a $350 million equity investment, and preserved the entirety of its worldwide employee base.
China Fishery — Representation of an ad hoc committee of holders of the $300 million notes due 2019 issued by CFG Investment S.A.C. in connection with the resolution of their claims against the China Fishery group of companies.
PizzaExpress Financing 2 plc — Representation of PizzaExpress Financing 2 plc (“PizzaExpress”) in its Chapter 15 proceeding in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas for recognition of proceedings in the United Kingdom in connection with its restructuring plan under the new Part 26A of the Companies Act 2006. PizzaExpress is the second company to use the Part 26A restructuring plan, which will provide £144 million in new financing, give holders of the existing senior secured notes new debt instruments and equity in the restructured group, and give holders of the existing senior unsecured notes equity in the restructured group. PizzaExpress is part of the PizzaExpress Group, one of the largest and leading casual dining restaurant groups in the world with over 500 restaurant locations in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and internationally.
FTS International, Inc. — Representation of FTSI and its affiliates in their prepackaged Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. FTSI, a publicly-traded company, is one of the largest providers of hydraulic fracturing services in North America and provides customized hydraulic fracturing solutions to exploration and production companies to enhance recovery rates from oil and gas wells drilled in the most active basins in the United States. FTSI commenced its Chapter 11 cases with a restructuring support agreement with over 87% of the holders of the company’s funded secured debt. If the company’s prepackaged Chapter 11 plan is approved, holders of approximately $440 million of funded secured debt will exchange their debt claims for over 90% of the equity in the reorganized debtors, holders of FTSI’s existing equity will receive approximately 10% of the equity in the reorganized debtors, and all ongoing business trade claims will ride through the bankruptcy unimpaired.
California Pizza Kitchen, Inc. — Representation of California Pizza Kitchen, Inc. (“CPK”) and its affiliates in their prearranged Chapter 11 restructuring in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. CPK is an iconic restaurant brand that specializes in California-style pizza with locations internationally and throughout the United States. CPK’s plan received near unanimous approval from all voting classes and allowed CPK to emerge from Chapter 11 in November 2020, reducing its debt obligations by over $225 million.
Jason Industries, Inc. — Representation of Jason Industries, Inc. and its subsidiaries in their Chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. Jason is a publicly-traded global industrial manufacturing company that provides mission critical components and manufacturing solutions—including brushes, polishing buffs, compounds, and seating products—to customers across a wide range of end markets, industries, and geographies. On June 24, 2020, Jason solicited and filed its prepackaged Chapter 11 cases with the support of over 87% of its first lien lenders under a restructuring support agreement. If approved, the prepackaged plan will deleverage Jason’s balance sheet by approximately $250 million and leave general unsecured claims unimpaired.
Extraction Oil & Gas, Inc. — Representation of Extraction Oil & Gas, Inc. and its affiliates in their prearranged Chapter 11 restructuring in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware. Extraction is one of the largest oil producers in Colorado, focusing on the acquisition, development, and production of oil, natural gas, and natural gas liquids reserves in the Rocky Mountain region, and listed approximately $1.7 billion of funded debt obligations at the time of filing. Extraction’s prearranged plan of reorganization carries broad stakeholder support and contemplates the equitization of approximately $1.1 billion in unsecured notes and a $125 million debtor-in-possession financing facility, which includes $50 million in new money.
Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc. — Representation of Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc. and its affiliates, in its Chapter 11 restructuring in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Hornbeck provides marine transportation and subsea installation services to support the deep water drilling and production needs of their exploration and production, oilfield service, offshore construction, and U.S. military customers. The Hornbeck Chapter 11 cases were filed with a prepackaged plan of reorganization that contemplates a $75 million in debtor-in-possession (DIP) financing and a fully backstopped $100 million rights offering.
Pier 1 Imports, Inc. — Representation of Pier 1 Imports, Inc. and its subsidiaries in their Chapter 11 cases in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. Pier 1 is a publicly-traded omnichannel retailer specializing in home furnishings and décor with 923 stores in the United States and Canada.
Clover Technologies Group, LLC — Representation of Clover Technologies Group, LLC, a provider of aftermarket management services for mobile device carriers and historically operated as a collector and remanufacturer of printer cartridges, in connection with its restructuring of $650 million of term loan indebtedness. As part of its comprehensive restructuring, Clover sold its printer cartridge remanufacturing business for over $200 million, acquired an additional company for synergies with the remaining mobile device business, and entered into a restructuring support agreement for the equitization of the vast majority of the term loan indebtedness.
Clerk & Government Experience
Judicial ExternHonorable Mary K. VyskocilUnited States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York
Prior Experience
More
Thought Leadership
Publications
Contributor, “Chapter 11 Overview,” LSTA Handbook of Loan Syndications and Trading, February 2022
Credentials
Admissions & Qualifications
- 2020New York
Courts
- United States District Court for the Southern District of New York
Education
- New York University School of LawJ.D.2019
Galgay Fellow in Bankruptcy and Reorganization Law
Staff Editor, Journal of Law and Business
- Fordham UniversityB.S., Financesumma cum laude2016