Thomas Moers Mayer specializes in representing investors in claims against, and interests in, financially distressed businesses.

Mr. Mayer has represented investors who purchased claims as a way to acquire controlling or substantial equity interests in, among other reorganizations, Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corporation (first chapter 11), General Chemicals, Pinnacle Towers and Key 3 Media, and also represented investors who have bought claims against or securities issued by distressed companies to take profits in cash and debt instead of equity, such as 2nd lien lenders to Solutia, Jitney Jungle, Levitz Industries, Grand Union (2nd chapter 11) and Reeves Industries, the majority holders of $970 million Choctaw/Zephyrus bank debt in Enron, the holders of $750 million in MCI Qualified Income Debt Securities, Washington Group and Iridium bank debt, Finova Trust Offered Preferred Certificates, and bonds and bank debt issued by Macy’s, Woodward & Lothrop, Insilco, Revco, National Gypsum and Todd Shipyards.

Mr. Mayer’s recent cases include:

• Dana Corporation (official creditors’ committee)
• Dura Automotive Systems (official creditors’ committee)
• ASARCO (marjority noteholders)
• Tower Automotive (equipment lease claimants)
• WCI Steel, Inc. ($300 million secured noteholders seeking control of debtor)
• W.R. Grace (official equity committee)
• Venture Holdings (largest secured bank creditor who became largest shareholder of reorganized company
• WestPoint Stevens ($165mm 2nd Lien Facility)
• NorthWestern Corporation ($320 million in subordinated notes; largest shareholder of reorganized debtor)
• Bethlehem Steel (creditors’ committee)
• Wheeling-Pittsburgh Corporation (parent company)

Mr. Mayer is the leading scholar on the law of trading claims and taking control of corporations in chapter 11, having authored or coauthored (with Chaim J. Fortgang) five published articles and the Collier Bankruptcy Practice Manual chapter on that topic. Mr. Mayer is a director of the American College of Bankruptcy. Turnaround Magazine has twice listed Mr. Mayer as one of the top restructurings lawyers in the U.S.

J.D., magna cum laude, Harvard Law School, 1981

• Editor, Harvard Law Review, 1980-1981

A.B., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, Dartmouth College, 1977

Chief Judge J. Edward Lumbard, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, 1981 - 1982

New York, 1982

Teaching
Adjunct Professor, Cardozo Law School (1998)

The Association of the Bar of the City of New York