Stephen E. Hessler

A Texas bankruptcy judge on Thursday significantly trimmed a request by Merit Street Media to pay administrative expenses in its bankruptcy case, expressing concern that the company is appealing its case's Chapter 7 conversion while running its business at a loss. After an all-day hearing Thursday, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Scott W. Everett partially denied a request from Merit Street — a joint venture between talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw and Christian network Trinity Broadcasting — to pay $484,000 in administrative expenses paid in arrears, approving just under $40,000 in employee wages. Judge Everett balked at approving any of the payments, saying that Merit Street is in the red and that he feared the Chapter 7 estate would be set up to fail. "If the debtor knew they were going to operate at a loss, why did they keep operating?" Judge Everett said. "I'm sympathetic to the employees, but if I grant the motion, will the Chapter 7 estate be insolvent right off the bat?" Judge Everett ruled Oct. 28 to convert the case to a Chapter 7 liquidation as requested by Trinity and creditor Professional Bull Riders Inc., finding a liquidating trustee would be best suited to administer the claims in the case and avoid unfair treatment among the creditor body. Following the ruling, Merit Street asked the court to impose a stay of the conversion order pending the debtor's filing of an appeal. However, opposition from Trinity Broadcasting and Professional Bull Riders led the court to reserve ruling on how any stay of his order would be implemented, and instead issue a status quo order. Judge Everett said he would not be ruling on the stay Thursday, and would try to reach a decision before he is called into jury duty on Monday. But interpretation of the status quo order was itself an issue in Thursday's hearing, with Merit Street arguing status quo meant continuing to operate the channel to bring in ad revenue — the only source of income for the estate. The judge said the imbroglio the debtor found itself in was a result of its own bid to stay the Chapter 7 conversion pending appeal. "If there had not been a stay request, there would have been a conversion order very soon after, and we wouldn't be here talking about unpaid expenses," Judge Everett said. "And now the debtor doesn't even have enough cash to pay what has been requested." The judge ultimately agreed to pay wages for what the debtor's counsel described as a skeleton crew to keep the channel running in order to collect ad revenue, plus benefits to allow one employee to retain health insurance to cover an upcoming surgery. "Day-to-day people cannot afford to take a hit of this magnitude," Jeri Leigh Miller of Sidley Austin LLP, counsel to the debtor, told the court. "In maintaining the status quo, per your honor's order, the employees continued to work — they are the least responsible for this situation and they are the least able to bear the burden of missed paychecks." Trinity and Professional Bull Riders argued, for their part, that keeping the business running at a loss was a violation of the status quo, and that the debtor had placed itself in an untenable situation. With $200,000 in cash on hand, the debtor should not be asking for leave to draw $400,000 more from existing lenders to pay the bills it racked up in October, the objectors argued — and a debtor heading into Chapter 7 simply has no authority to pay Chapter 11 expenses. "No further cash should be permitted to leave the estate," Abbey Walsh, counsel to Professional Bull Riders, told the court. "The employees agreed to extend their contracts, knowing they're not going to get paid." In his October ruling to convert the case, the judge found that the Chapter 11 plan proposed by Merit Street in September was premised on the pursuit of litigation against Trinity and Professional Bull Riders that will be partially controlled by the Ribman Trust. The judge said in his oral ruling that the status of Jamie Ribman — the husband of Ribman Trust administrator Darcy Ribman — as a favored creditor of McGraw creates a conflict when paired with the Ribman Trust's role on the creditors committee and its proposed role under the Chapter 11 plan filed by Merit Street. That status would also create issues if the court dismissed the bankruptcy because it would allow McGraw to execute his preferred plan to favor the Ribman claims over other creditors, Judge Everett found. In Thursday's hearing, counsel for the Ribman Trust argued that there was no evidence that Jamie Ribman was acting on behalf of the trust, saying a text from McGraw to Ribman discussing the future of the bankruptcy case — the subject of much discussion in Judge Everett's October ruling — was purely circumstantial. "It's not just smoke, it's actual fire," Trinity counsel Mark Moore of Foley & Lardner LLP hit back. "McGraw sent text to Ribman about trust business." Texas-based Merit Street filed for bankruptcy in July with plans to sell its assets in Chapter 11. The broadcasting group was formed in 2023 as a joint venture between Peteski Productions and Trinity to continue producing and airing McGraw's eponymous show, which had just ended a successful 21-year run on CBS. Peteski is McGraw's production company through which he owns a majority stake in the debtor. Trinity moved to dismiss the Chapter 11, arguing it was filed in bad faith as a way to wipe out the broadcaster's claims against the debtor, and to start a new media venture with Merit Street's assets and employees without Trinity's involvement. The broadcasting company also contended that McGraw lacked the required corporate authority to make the decision to file for bankruptcy. Merit Street is represented by Jeri Leigh Miller, Stephen Hessler, Patrick Venter and James W. Ducayet of Sidley Austin LLP. Peteski is represented by Carl C. Butzer, Charles L. Babcock, Vienna F. Anaya, Bruce J. Ruzinsky, William T. Farmer, Matthew D. Cavenaugh and Emily Meraia of Jackson Walker LLP. Professional Bull Riders is represented by Jason M. Rudd and Scott D. Lawrence of Wick Phillips Gould & Martin LLP and Jennifer R. Hoover, Andrew D. Kinsey, Nicholas J. Secco, Alyssa A. Moscarino and Abbey Walsh of Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP. Trinity is represented by Holland N. O'Neil, Robert Slovak, Steven C. Lockhart, Mark C. Moore, Stephanie L. McPhail, Rajiv Dharnidharka and Nora J. McGuffey of Foley & Lardner LLP. The unsecured creditors committee is represented by Louis R. Strubeck Jr., Gregory M. Wilkes, Laura Smith and Julian Gurule of O'Melveny & Myers LLP. The bankruptcy case is In re: Merit Street Media Inc., case number 8:25-bk-80156, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Nov 13

5 min

In the 2019 edition of Chambers USA, America's Leading Lawyers for Business, Kirkland & Ellis is ranked in Band 1 in 21 categories, and is recognized as a leading law firm in 41 additional categories. Chambers & Partners produces the internationally recognized guide to the legal profession in the U.S. market by conducting thousands of interviews with private practice attorneys and clients. A summary of Kirkland's rankings is here. Chambers & Partners also recognized the following 161 Kirkland lawyers for their individual achievements over the past 12 months: Kenneth Adamo Adam Alper Gregory Arovas Eugene Assaf Christian Atwood Jon Ballis Brooksany Barrowes Leora Ben-Ami Scott Berger Erica Berthou Pippa Bond William Bos Nader Boulos Paul Brinkman Robert Brock Rachel Brown Christopher Butler Andrew Calder Rachel Cantor David Castro Dale Cendali Rohit Chaudhry Eunu Chun Paul Clement Armand Della Monica Henry DePippo David Dixon Edward Donovan Stuart Drake Barack Echols Neil Eggleston Kevin Ehrhart Bruce Ettelson Michael Falk Scott Falk Alexandra Farmer Bartow Farr Mark Filip Damon Fisher Robert Fleishman Michael Foradas Brian Ford David Fox Patrick Gallagher Douglas Gessner Richard Godfrey Asheesh Goel Sandra Goldstein Samantha Good Scott Gordon Christopher Greco Leo Greenberg Nicole Greenblatt Ashley Gregory Jeffrey Hammes Joshua Hanna Brendan Head Jonathan Henes Louis Hernandez Stephen Hessler Sean Hill Neil Hirshman Mark Holscher Walter Holzer James Hurst Chad Husnick Sarkis Jebejian Sonali Shah Jindal Ian John Chris Kallos Jason Kanner Natalie Keller Marc Kieselstein Michelle Kilkenney Anne Kim Gregg Kirchhoefer Christopher Kirkham Sarah Kirson Robert Kopecky Joshua Korff Mark Kovner Ross Kwasteniet Brian Land Daniel Lavon-Krein Daniel Laytin Garret Leach Jay Lefkowitz Russell Levine William Levy Russell Light Jeremy Liss Gregg LoCascio Rick Madden Mario Mancuso Christopher Marcus Aaron Marks Peter Martelli Todd Maynes Hamed Meshki Lee Morlock Kenneth Morrison Erin Murphy Jordan Murray James Mutchnik Linda Myers Steven Napolitano Patrick Nash David Nemecek Emily Nicklin James Nowacki John O'Neil Matthew Pacey Francesco Penati Sanford Perl Daniel Perlman John Pitts Scott Price Craig Primis Jay Ptashek Claudia Ray Matt Reilly Stephen Ritchie Donald Rocap Sean Rodgers Anna Rotman Andrew Running Jared Rusman Kelly Ryan Edward Sassower Anup Sathy Jonathan Schechter Eric Schiele Mark Schneider David Seligman Jason Serlenga Monica Shilling Dean Shulman Joshua Simmons Andrew Small Leslie Smith Anthony Speier James Sprayregen Matthew Steinmetz James Stempel William Stuckwisch Joshua Sussberg Paul Tanaka Rahul Vashi Andy Veit Eric Wedel Ross Weisman Michael Weisser William Welke David Wheat Sean Wheeler Daniel Wolf Michael Woronoff Andrew Wright Thomas Yannucci Sara Zablotney David Zott

Apr 25

2 min

A Texas bankruptcy judge on Thursday significantly trimmed a request by Merit Street Media to pay administrative expenses in its bankruptcy case, expressing concern that the company is appealing its case's Chapter 7 conversion while running its business at a loss. After an all-day hearing Thursday, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Scott W. Everett partially denied a request from Merit Street — a joint venture between talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw and Christian network Trinity Broadcasting — to pay $484,000 in administrative expenses paid in arrears, approving just under $40,000 in employee wages. Judge Everett balked at approving any of the payments, saying that Merit Street is in the red and that he feared the Chapter 7 estate would be set up to fail. "If the debtor knew they were going to operate at a loss, why did they keep operating?" Judge Everett said. "I'm sympathetic to the employees, but if I grant the motion, will the Chapter 7 estate be insolvent right off the bat?" Judge Everett ruled Oct. 28 to convert the case to a Chapter 7 liquidation as requested by Trinity and creditor Professional Bull Riders Inc., finding a liquidating trustee would be best suited to administer the claims in the case and avoid unfair treatment among the creditor body. Following the ruling, Merit Street asked the court to impose a stay of the conversion order pending the debtor's filing of an appeal. However, opposition from Trinity Broadcasting and Professional Bull Riders led the court to reserve ruling on how any stay of his order would be implemented, and instead issue a status quo order. Judge Everett said he would not be ruling on the stay Thursday, and would try to reach a decision before he is called into jury duty on Monday. But interpretation of the status quo order was itself an issue in Thursday's hearing, with Merit Street arguing status quo meant continuing to operate the channel to bring in ad revenue — the only source of income for the estate. The judge said the imbroglio the debtor found itself in was a result of its own bid to stay the Chapter 7 conversion pending appeal. "If there had not been a stay request, there would have been a conversion order very soon after, and we wouldn't be here talking about unpaid expenses," Judge Everett said. "And now the debtor doesn't even have enough cash to pay what has been requested." The judge ultimately agreed to pay wages for what the debtor's counsel described as a skeleton crew to keep the channel running in order to collect ad revenue, plus benefits to allow one employee to retain health insurance to cover an upcoming surgery. "Day-to-day people cannot afford to take a hit of this magnitude," Jeri Leigh Miller of Sidley Austin LLP, counsel to the debtor, told the court. "In maintaining the status quo, per your honor's order, the employees continued to work — they are the least responsible for this situation and they are the least able to bear the burden of missed paychecks." Trinity and Professional Bull Riders argued, for their part, that keeping the business running at a loss was a violation of the status quo, and that the debtor had placed itself in an untenable situation. With $200,000 in cash on hand, the debtor should not be asking for leave to draw $400,000 more from existing lenders to pay the bills it racked up in October, the objectors argued — and a debtor heading into Chapter 7 simply has no authority to pay Chapter 11 expenses. "No further cash should be permitted to leave the estate," Abbey Walsh, counsel to Professional Bull Riders, told the court. "The employees agreed to extend their contracts, knowing they're not going to get paid." In his October ruling to convert the case, the judge found that the Chapter 11 plan proposed by Merit Street in September was premised on the pursuit of litigation against Trinity and Professional Bull Riders that will be partially controlled by the Ribman Trust. The judge said in his oral ruling that the status of Jamie Ribman — the husband of Ribman Trust administrator Darcy Ribman — as a favored creditor of McGraw creates a conflict when paired with the Ribman Trust's role on the creditors committee and its proposed role under the Chapter 11 plan filed by Merit Street. That status would also create issues if the court dismissed the bankruptcy because it would allow McGraw to execute his preferred plan to favor the Ribman claims over other creditors, Judge Everett found. In Thursday's hearing, counsel for the Ribman Trust argued that there was no evidence that Jamie Ribman was acting on behalf of the trust, saying a text from McGraw to Ribman discussing the future of the bankruptcy case — the subject of much discussion in Judge Everett's October ruling — was purely circumstantial. "It's not just smoke, it's actual fire," Trinity counsel Mark Moore of Foley & Lardner LLP hit back. "McGraw sent text to Ribman about trust business." Texas-based Merit Street filed for bankruptcy in July with plans to sell its assets in Chapter 11. The broadcasting group was formed in 2023 as a joint venture between Peteski Productions and Trinity to continue producing and airing McGraw's eponymous show, which had just ended a successful 21-year run on CBS. Peteski is McGraw's production company through which he owns a majority stake in the debtor. Trinity moved to dismiss the Chapter 11, arguing it was filed in bad faith as a way to wipe out the broadcaster's claims against the debtor, and to start a new media venture with Merit Street's assets and employees without Trinity's involvement. The broadcasting company also contended that McGraw lacked the required corporate authority to make the decision to file for bankruptcy. Merit Street is represented by Jeri Leigh Miller, Stephen Hessler, Patrick Venter and James W. Ducayet of Sidley Austin LLP. Peteski is represented by Carl C. Butzer, Charles L. Babcock, Vienna F. Anaya, Bruce J. Ruzinsky, William T. Farmer, Matthew D. Cavenaugh and Emily Meraia of Jackson Walker LLP. Professional Bull Riders is represented by Jason M. Rudd and Scott D. Lawrence of Wick Phillips Gould & Martin LLP and Jennifer R. Hoover, Andrew D. Kinsey, Nicholas J. Secco, Alyssa A. Moscarino and Abbey Walsh of Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP. Trinity is represented by Holland N. O'Neil, Robert Slovak, Steven C. Lockhart, Mark C. Moore, Stephanie L. McPhail, Rajiv Dharnidharka and Nora J. McGuffey of Foley & Lardner LLP. The unsecured creditors committee is represented by Louis R. Strubeck Jr., Gregory M. Wilkes, Laura Smith and Julian Gurule of O'Melveny & Myers LLP. The bankruptcy case is In re: Merit Street Media Inc., case number 8:25-bk-80156, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Nov 13

5 min

"Dr. Phil" McGraw testified Tuesday in Texas bankruptcy court that he sought control of his joint venture with Trinity Broadcasting last year because his partner had "abandoned" the venture's mission and failed to support it during its startup phase. During the fourth day of a trial over motions to dismiss the Chapter 11 case of Merit Street Media, McGraw said he was moved to take control of the joint venture from Trinity because it was struggling to earn revenue and McGraw believed he could raise millions of dollars in a short time if he was in charge of the operation. McGraw alleged that following an August 2024 deal in which McGraw's Peteski Productions Inc. assumed 70% ownership of Merit Street — switching equity positions with Trinity, which then held the remaining 30% — Trinity financially ditched their partnership. If Trinity "had not abandoned this mission prematurely, I think it would have been the best investment they had ever made," he said on examination by counsel for Trinity. McGraw said the network he and Trinity had launched had a long runway to profitability, testifying that it was a four-to-five-year journey, and that Trinity, the Christian broadcaster, was informed of this forecast when it joined forces with Peteski to form Merit Street and launch the new network, carried on Trinity's airwaves. The swapping of equity positions would have resulted in a much better financial performance for Trinity than if it had retained its original 70% stake in Merit Street because having McGraw in charge would allow Trinity to focus on its strengths in television distribution, while McGraw could have complete control over the production of the programming, he told the court. McGraw challenged the testimony given Monday in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas by Matt Crouch, president of Trinity, who said there was no money coming into Merit Street and no one was watching the channel's programming. He also said he contributed $50 million to the operation after Trinity stopped financing it. Trinity's brief in support of its motion to dismiss the Chapter 11 case categorized McGraw as a "thief in the night," trying to abscond with Merit Street's assets and hand them off to a new media entity controlled by McGraw that would continue producing "The Dr. Phil Show." Crouch testified Monday that the language used in the brief included a biblical reference that discusses the second coming of Jesus Christ, and McGraw charged Tuesday that Crouch's comments on that matter were "blasphemy." McGraw said he began exploring ways to keep Merit Street out of bankruptcy and made moves to strip the company down to keep costs under control, including laying off dozens of employees. At the same time, he was starting up a new entity called Envoy Media Co. Trinity alleged the bankruptcy was filed in bad faith to escape obligations to Trinity and others while at the same time transferring Merit Street's assets and employees to Envoy. Professional Bull Riders Inc., a creditor of Merit Street that signed a deal for the channel to broadcast bull-riding events, is also seeking dismissal of the Chapter 11, accusing Merit Street of trying to cancel the creditor's claims against the debtor. "I did not want [Merit Street] to go into bankruptcy. I fought it. I fought it. I fought it," McGraw said. "It was not a victory for me. It was not a winning strategy for me, and I sure did not do it to escape PBR's claim." Texas-based Merit Street filed for bankruptcy in July with plans to sell its assets in Chapter 11. The broadcasting group was formed in 2023 as a joint venture between Peteski and Trinity to continue producing and airing his eponymous show, which had just ended a 21-year run on CBS. Merit Street sued Trinity in an adversary proceeding, alleging that the network didn't uphold its end of the joint venture, with the debtor seeking to cancel $25 million of liens asserted by Trinity tied to their prepetition agreement. The trial over the dismissal request is scheduled to resume Thursday with additional cross-examination of McGraw. Merit Street is represented by Jeri Leigh Miller, Stephen Hessler, Patrick Venter and James W. Ducayet of Sidley Austin LLP. Peteski is represented by Carl C. Butzer, Charles L. Babcock, Vienna F. Anaya, Bruce J. Ruzinsky, William T. Farmer, Matthew D. Cavenaugh and Emily Meraia of Jackson Walker LLP. Professional Bull Riders is represented by Jason M. Rudd and Scott D. Lawrence of Wick Phillips Gould & Martin LLP and Jennifer R. Hoover, Andrew D. Kinsey, Nicholas J. Secco, Alyssa A. Moscarino and Abbey Walsh of Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP. Trinity is represented by Holland N. O'Neil, Robert Slovak, Steven C. Lockhart, Mark C. Moore, Stephanie L. McPhail, Rajiv Dharnidharka and Nora J. McGuffey of Foley & Lardner LLP. The unsecured creditors committee is represented by Louis R. Strubeck Jr., Gregory M. Wilkes, Laura Smith and Julian Gurule of O'Melveny & Myers LLP. The bankruptcy case is In re: Merit Street Media Inc., case number 8:25-bk-80156, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas. The adversary action is Merit Street Media Inc. v. Trinity Broadcasting of Texas Inc., case number 8:25-ap-8006, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Sep 23

4 min

Dr. Phil's production company and a bankrupt broadcaster he co-founded must comply with discovery requests from creditors trying to dismiss Merit Street Media's increasingly contentious Chapter 11, a Texas bankruptcy judge said Thursday. U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Scott W. Everett during a hearing overruled objections from Peteski Productions — which is owned by television personality Phil McGraw, better known as Dr. Phil — and Merit Street to discovery requests made by two creditors. The creditors — Trinity Broadcasting of Texas, which co-founded Merit Street with Peteski, and the Professional Bull Riders — have alleged that the Chapter 11 was filed in bad faith and without required corporate authorization. Peteski had said the discovery requests were unnecessary and too close to an Aug. 19 hearing on critical motions in the case. Judge Everett overruled the concerns Thursday and directed the companies to respond to the requested production, which includes the personal emails and text messages of certain Merit Street and Peteski employees, including McGraw's sons, as well as engagement letters and billing records of law firm Jackson Walker LLP. "I've considered whether the discovery is relevant and proportional to the needs of the case," Judge Everett said, overruling Merit Street and Peteski's objections. "This is an unusual case. There's a lot of allegations that are just that — just allegations," he observed. Merit Street filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in early July listing at least $100 million in liabilities. Merit Street was formed in 2023 as a joint venture between Christian broadcasting network Trinity and Peteski, the production company behind the long-running daytime talk show "Dr. Phil," which aired on CBS. At Merit Street, McGraw began "Dr. Phil Primetime," a talk show that has included an interview with President Donald Trump during his 2024 presidential campaign and interviews with Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In parallel with its Chapter 11 petition, Merit Street filed an adversary action against Trinity. The lawsuit alleged that Trinity didn't live up to its obligations to give operational and financial support to the joint venture, putting it on a path to insolvency. The lawsuit is looking to undo a security interest transferred to Trinity in May 2025 in connection with a $25 million loan a Trinity affiliate gave Merit Media. Peteski, which has agreed to front up $13.4 million in new money to Merit Street under a debtor-in-possession loan, conditioned further funding beyond a $4.1 million interim draw approved in July on obtaining a favorable judgment in the adversary action against Trinity, according to Merit Street's motion for DIP approval. Trinity in mid-July asked Judge Everett to either dismiss the bankruptcy, convert it to a Chapter 7 liquidation or appoint a Chapter 11 trustee to oversee the company, alleging that the petition was filed without proper corporate authority. It also alleged that it was filed in bad faith and would benefit McGraw over creditors. The Professional Bull Riders in early August filed a joinder to Trinity's motion to dismiss the case. The bull riding league, headquartered in Texas, asserted a $181.4 million breach of contract claim against Merit Street and alleged the bankruptcy was filed to dodge the litigation. The joinder alleged that the bankruptcy would allow McGraw to jump-start Envoy Media Co., a a similar company he formed in the days before Merit Street filed for Chapter 11. Judge Everett was scheduled to consider the motions to dismiss on Aug. 19. PBR on Aug. 7 filed an emergency motion to compel production of documents by both Merit Street and Peteski, saying it believed that certain Merit Street employees were using their personal emails and texts to do work on behalf of Envoy. It also requested billing records and retention letters for Jackson Walker, the law firm representing Peteski as the DIP lender. PBR said in court filings that the firm had represented Merit Street in arbitration proceedings with PBR shortly before the bankruptcy. Trinity filed a joinder to the motion, alleging that the debtor had produced few of its requested documents ahead of depositions. Attorneys for Merit Street and Peteski argued on Thursday that the production requests were unnecessary and would be too burdensome for them to produce, given the quick timeline in the case. They argued that they had already complied with much of the discovery requests and agreed to produce the requested emails and texts for some of the employees. Judge Everett overruled the objections. "I think that is in some sense an issue of their [the debtors'] own making," he said in reference to the tight time frame and discovery in the case, later elaborating that it was an "unorthodox request" for the debtors to seek a ruling in preference claim lawsuit so soon after a bankruptcy was filed to get further DIP funding. Merit Street is scheduled on Aug. 19 to ask Judge Everett to grant a second interim order approving the DIP to allow it to borrow more money to fund the case, which Trinity and PBR have pushed back on over concerns about the necessity of the funds. Attorneys for Trinity and PBR told the court Thursday that in light of the new wave of discovery, they may not be prepared to argue their motions to dismiss on Aug. 19. Judge Everett encouraged the parties to discuss how they will proceed next week and added that whether Merit Street had corporate authority to file for bankruptcy will be a gating issue that should be answered early in the case. He said Fifth Circuit case laws give bankruptcy judges little wiggle room to allow a case to proceed if it was filed without required authority. "That seems to be a unique threshold issue that needs attention for everybody's benefit," Judge Everett commented. Merit Street Media is represented by Jeri Leigh Miller, Stephen Hessler, Patrick Venter and James W. Ducayet of Sidley Austin LLP. Peteski Productions, Inc. is represented by Carl C. Butzer, Charles L. Babcock, Vienna F. Anaya, Bruce J. Ruzinsky, William T. Farmer, Matthew D. Cavenaugh and Emily Meraia of Jackson Walker LLP. Professional Bull Riders, LLC is represented by Jason M. Rudd and Scott D. Lawrence of Wick Phillips Gould & Martin LLP and Jennifer R. Hoover, Andrew D. Kinsey, Nicholas J. Secco, Alyssa A. Moscarino and Abbey Walsh of Benesch Friedlander Coplan & Aronoff LLP Trinity is represented by Holland N. O'Neil, Robert Slovak, Steven C. Lockhart, Mark C. Moore, Stephanie L. McPhail, Rajiv Dharnidharka and Nora J. McGuffey of Foley & Lardner LLP. The bankruptcy case is in re: Merit Street Media Inc., case number 8:25-bk-80156, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas. The adversary case is Merit Street Media Inc. v. Trinity Broadcasting of Texas Inc. et al., case number 8:25-bk-08006, in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of Texas.

Aug 14

5 min