6/13
2011

KTB&S attorneys Robert J. Pfister and David M. Stern served as counsel to Gene Douglas Balas and Carlos A. Morales in defending a motion by the United States Trustee to dismiss their joint chapter 13 bankruptcy petition on the ground that, although legally married under California law, the couple was not eligible to file a joint bankruptcy petition under the federal Defense of Marriage Act, Pub. L. No. 104-199, 110 Stat. 2419 (Sept. 21, 1996).  Pfister and Stern successfully advocated for the dismissal of the motion, which ruling was announced in a June 13, 2011 decision declaring the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional.  The opinion, issued by the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Central District of California, was signed by an unprecedented 20 out of 24 judges of the court.  To learn more, click here.

9/13
2010

On July 26, 2010, Kenneth Klee filed his report as a court-appointed examiner in the bankruptcy cases of media conglomerate Tribune Company and its affiliates, pending in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware.  KTB&S served as lead counsel to Mr. Klee in conducting an investigation into the $13 billion leveraged buy-outs of Tribune, which was completed in December 2007.  The investigation and the resulting 1,400-page report – completed in less than 3 months – uncovered the facts surrounding and analyzed potential estate causes of action against parties involved in this complex transaction and other matters.  The report may be viewed on the website of Epiq Bankruptcy Solutions.  Following the completion of the Report, the Bankruptcy Court expressed its appreciation for the work performed by Mr. Klee and his team.   Please click on the document below to read more.

4/13
2010

Kenneth N. Klee was named by the Lawdragon magazine as one of the Top 500 Leading Lawyers in America in 2008. The magazine has this to say about Ken: “Klee wrote many of our bankruptcy laws in the ’70s, structured big bankruptcies (Adelphia, Del Taco, Orion Pictures, among others) and now he also teaches law students about the bankruptcy trends to come.”