Emily Flynn Meraia
Experience
- Debtor Representation
- Secured Creditor Representation
- Unsecured Creditor Representation
Biography
Emily Flynn Meraia is an attorney in the Bankruptcy, Restructuring, & Recovery section of Jackson Walker’s Houston office.
Emily offers experience representing debtors and creditors in connection with corporate restructuring, bankruptcy, and financial distress. She also has experience with international and cross-border insolvency and out-of-court restructurings throughout Texas, Virginia, New York, and Delaware bankruptcy courts.
Prior to Jackson Walker, Emily practiced as a restructuring and litigation associate at an international firm.
Education
B.A., Fordham University
J.D., cum laude, Notre Dame Law School
- Journal of Law, Ethics and Public Policy, Executive Articles Editor
- Faculty Award for Excellence in Labor & Employment Law
- Dean’s List
Bar Admissions
Texas
Illinois
- Represented Katerra Inc., an innovative and eco-conscious construction company, and its subsidiaries in their Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Katerra commenced its chapter 11 cases with the goal of facilitating a marketing and sale process for its assets to maximize value and creditor recoveries.
- Represented Technicolor S.A., a Paris-based global leader in content creation to distribution for Hollywood studios, independent filmmakers, music producers, and video game and software developers in its Chapter 15 proceeding pending before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. The Chapter 15 proceeding is part of a comprehensive restructuring strategy to raise €420 million in new financing and refinance Technicolor’s existing $477.8 million and €977 million of funded debt through an accelerated financial safeguard proceeding under French law.
- Represented independent exploration and production company Vanguard Natural Resources Inc. and its affiliates in their Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of Texas. Vanguard had approximately $850 million in debt at the time of filing and obtained a commitment for a $130 million debtor-in-possession financing facility, which included $65 million in new money.
- Represented Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc. and its affiliates, in its Chapter 11 restructuring in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. 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.
- Represented Gulfport Energy Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries in their prearranged Chapter 11 restructuring in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Gulfport entered Chapter 11 with a restructuring support agreement signed by prepetition revolving credit facility lenders holding over 95% of its revolving debt obligations and noteholders holding over 70% of its senior unsecured notes. The restructuring support agreement proposes eliminating approximately $1.25 billion in funded debt obligations, provides for a $262.5 million DIP facility and $580 million in committed exit financing, and contemplates a backstopped rights offering for at least $50 million of preferred equity.
- Represented Intelsat S.A. and its debtor-affiliates, operator of the world’s largest satellite fleet and connectivity infrastructure, in connection with their Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. With approximately $15 billion in liabilities at the time of filing, Intelsat was one of the largest and most complex restructurings of 2020 and 2021. Intelsat filed with $1 billion in committed DIP financing, which it subsequently refinanced and expanded up to $1.5 billion. During their chapter 11 cases, Intelsat purchased Gogo Inc.’s commercial aviation business for approximately $400 million in a relatively unprecedented transaction for a chapter 11 debtor. Intelsat emerged from chapter 11 with nearly $7 billion in new exit financing and a deleveraged capital structure.
- Represented Acosta, Inc., a multinational full-service sales, marketing, and retail merchandising agency, in its prepackaged restructuring of $3 billion of indebtedness. Acosta’s Chapter 11 plan was confirmed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware just 15 days after the bankruptcy filing.
- Represented Windstream Holdings, Inc., and its debtor subsidiaries in their Chapter 11 restructuring in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. In bankruptcy, Windstream commenced litigation to re-characterize a $3.5 billion spin-off and master lease of certain telecommunications network assets. That litigation resulted in an innovative settlement that provided over approximately $1.2 billion in net present value and billions of dollars of improvement to Windstream’s telecommunications infrastructure. Windstream also confirmed a Chapter 11 plan or reorganization that addresses more than $5.6 billion in funded debt obligations and provides for a $750 million equity rights offering.
- Represented Neiman Marcus Group LTD LLC and affiliates in their pre-arranged Chapter 11 cases. The Company successfully completed its restructuring of over $5.5 billion of funded indebtedness in under five months. It eliminated more than $4 billion of debt and more than $200 million of annual cash interest expense, and preserved more than 13,000 jobs. Neiman Marcus is the first retailer with over $5 billion of debt to reorganize under Chapter 11.
- Represented iHeartMedia, Inc., the largest radio broadcaster in the United States, and certain subsidiaries in their Chapter 11 restructuring. The Company had consolidated debts of over $20 billion and the Chapter 11 cases. In connection with its restructuring, iHeart reached an agreement with holders of more than $11 billion of its debt and its financial sponsors, reflecting widespread support across the capital structure, regarding a comprehensive balance sheet restructuring that reduced iHeartMedia’s debt by more than $10 billion.
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch (Woodward/White Inc.), 2024-2025
- Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, 2024-2025
- Litigation – Bankruptcy, 2024
December 16, 2024
Newsletters
JW Belonging & Inclusion Newsletter – December 2024
View Jackson Walker’s December 2024 Belonging & Inclusion Newsletter, Perspectives.
August 15, 2024
Attorney News
‘The Best Lawyers in America’ Features 306 Jackson Walker Attorneys in 2025 Edition, Including 9 “Lawyers of the Year” and 75 “Ones to Watch”
The Best Lawyers in America has recognized 306 Jackson Walker attorneys across 81 specialty practice areas in its 2025 edition, including 9 Lawyers of the Year and 75 Ones to Watch. In this year’s guide, Jackson Walker saw the largest number of attorneys in the areas of Commercial Litigation (75 attorneys) and Real Estate Law (55 attorneys) and the addition of 27 attorneys as Best Lawyers.
April 11, 2024
Spotlight
Jackson Walker Receives Two Awards at 18th Annual Turnaround Awards Gala
Jackson Walker congratulates our Bankruptcy, Restructuring, & Recovery team for their recognition as award recipients at the 18th Annual Turnaround Awards Gala during the 2024 Distressed Investing Summit. The award ceremony took place on Tuesday, March 19, 2023, at The Ben Hotel in Palm Beach, Florida.
August 17, 2023
Attorney News
‘The Best Lawyers in America’ Honors 287 Jackson Walker Attorneys in 2024 Edition, Including 12 “Lawyers of the Year” and 80 “Ones to Watch”
The Best Lawyers in America has recognized 287 Jackson Walker attorneys across 5 offices and 82 specialty practice areas in its 2024 edition, including 12 Lawyers of the Year and 80 Ones to Watch. In this year’s guide, Jackson Walker saw the largest number of attorneys in the areas of Commercial Litigation (66 attorneys) and Real Estate Law (60 attorneys) and the addition of 35 attorneys as Best Lawyers.
August 4, 2023
Mentions
The American Lawyer: Jackson Walker is Nation’s Top Local Counsel in Large Bankruptcies, as Bankruptcy and Restructuring Filings Rebound
The American Lawyer cited new research which named Jackson Walker’s Bankruptcy, Restructuring, & Recovery group as the top local debtor’s counsel in the nation so far this year.
November 17, 2022
Newsletters
JW Diversity & Inclusion Newsletter – November 2022
View Jackson Walker’s November 2022 Diversity & Inclusion Newsletter, Perspectives.
Practice Experience
- Represented Katerra Inc., an innovative and eco-conscious construction company, and its subsidiaries in their Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Katerra commenced its chapter 11 cases with the goal of facilitating a marketing and sale process for its assets to maximize value and creditor recoveries.
- Represented Technicolor S.A., a Paris-based global leader in content creation to distribution for Hollywood studios, independent filmmakers, music producers, and video game and software developers in its Chapter 15 proceeding pending before the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. The Chapter 15 proceeding is part of a comprehensive restructuring strategy to raise €420 million in new financing and refinance Technicolor’s existing $477.8 million and €977 million of funded debt through an accelerated financial safeguard proceeding under French law.
- Represented independent exploration and production company Vanguard Natural Resources Inc. and its affiliates in their Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court of the Southern District of Texas. Vanguard had approximately $850 million in debt at the time of filing and obtained a commitment for a $130 million debtor-in-possession financing facility, which included $65 million in new money.
- Represented Hornbeck Offshore Services, Inc. and its affiliates, in its Chapter 11 restructuring in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. 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.
- Represented Gulfport Energy Corporation and its wholly-owned subsidiaries in their prearranged Chapter 11 restructuring in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas. Gulfport entered Chapter 11 with a restructuring support agreement signed by prepetition revolving credit facility lenders holding over 95% of its revolving debt obligations and noteholders holding over 70% of its senior unsecured notes. The restructuring support agreement proposes eliminating approximately $1.25 billion in funded debt obligations, provides for a $262.5 million DIP facility and $580 million in committed exit financing, and contemplates a backstopped rights offering for at least $50 million of preferred equity.
- Represented Intelsat S.A. and its debtor-affiliates, operator of the world’s largest satellite fleet and connectivity infrastructure, in connection with their Chapter 11 cases in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Virginia. With approximately $15 billion in liabilities at the time of filing, Intelsat was one of the largest and most complex restructurings of 2020 and 2021. Intelsat filed with $1 billion in committed DIP financing, which it subsequently refinanced and expanded up to $1.5 billion. During their chapter 11 cases, Intelsat purchased Gogo Inc.’s commercial aviation business for approximately $400 million in a relatively unprecedented transaction for a chapter 11 debtor. Intelsat emerged from chapter 11 with nearly $7 billion in new exit financing and a deleveraged capital structure.
- Represented Acosta, Inc., a multinational full-service sales, marketing, and retail merchandising agency, in its prepackaged restructuring of $3 billion of indebtedness. Acosta’s Chapter 11 plan was confirmed by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware just 15 days after the bankruptcy filing.
- Represented Windstream Holdings, Inc., and its debtor subsidiaries in their Chapter 11 restructuring in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of New York. In bankruptcy, Windstream commenced litigation to re-characterize a $3.5 billion spin-off and master lease of certain telecommunications network assets. That litigation resulted in an innovative settlement that provided over approximately $1.2 billion in net present value and billions of dollars of improvement to Windstream’s telecommunications infrastructure. Windstream also confirmed a Chapter 11 plan or reorganization that addresses more than $5.6 billion in funded debt obligations and provides for a $750 million equity rights offering.
- Represented Neiman Marcus Group LTD LLC and affiliates in their pre-arranged Chapter 11 cases. The Company successfully completed its restructuring of over $5.5 billion of funded indebtedness in under five months. It eliminated more than $4 billion of debt and more than $200 million of annual cash interest expense, and preserved more than 13,000 jobs. Neiman Marcus is the first retailer with over $5 billion of debt to reorganize under Chapter 11.
- Represented iHeartMedia, Inc., the largest radio broadcaster in the United States, and certain subsidiaries in their Chapter 11 restructuring. The Company had consolidated debts of over $20 billion and the Chapter 11 cases. In connection with its restructuring, iHeart reached an agreement with holders of more than $11 billion of its debt and its financial sponsors, reflecting widespread support across the capital structure, regarding a comprehensive balance sheet restructuring that reduced iHeartMedia’s debt by more than $10 billion.
Recognition & Accolades
- Best Lawyers: Ones to Watch (Woodward/White Inc.), 2024-2025
- Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, 2024-2025
- Litigation – Bankruptcy, 2024