Deborah J. Newman is a partner in Quinn Emanuel’s New York Office. Her practice focuses on bankruptcy-related litigation and complex commercial litigation. Ms. Newman represents creditors, bondholders, indenture trustees, hedge funds, institutional investors, creditor committees and debtors in the full range of complex litigation matters arising in the course of chapter 11 restructurings, cross-border insolvencies and other bankruptcy contexts, as well as other complex commercial litigations occurring in state and federal courts. Ms. Newman has litigated some of the most cutting-edge issues in bankruptcy litigation, including the treatment of original issue discount under the Bankruptcy Code, the appropriate cram down interest rate for a secured creditor, the applicability of section 546(e) of the Bankruptcy Code to constructive fraudulent conveyance claims, and individual creditors’ ability to pursue fraudulent conveyance actions following a debtor’s bankruptcy filing. Ms. Newman also has wide-ranging experience in complex commercial litigation occurring outside of the bankruptcy courts, including by recently obtaining a ruling from the First Department of the Appellate Division of New York reversing a lower court decision and dismissing with prejudice an action seeking more than $90 million.
Ms. Newman graduated from the University of Michigan with honors in 1997 and received her J.D. from Columbia University School of Law in 2002. She was selected as a 2016 “Rising Star” in bankruptcy litigation by Law360.
- Represented an ad hoc group of second lien lenders in the SunEdison bankruptcy case.
- Represented the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the Nine West bankruptcy case.
- Represented one of the largest creditors in the Momentive Performance Materials bankruptcy proceeding.
- Obtained complete dismissal on appeal of a complaint seeking approximately $140 million from a multinational oil company.
- Represented a private investment firm in the highly contested restructuring of a foreign telecommunications company.
- Represented the creditors committee in the bankruptcy proceedings of Chassix Holdings Inc. and its affiliated entities.
- Defended an indenture trustee against a 14-count complaint brought by an official committee of unsecured creditors, resulting in the preservation of more than $500 million of value for the indenture trustee’s beneficiary bondholders.
- Represented the largest holder of pre-LBO debt of the Tribune Company in litigation respecting the confirmation of competing plans of reorganization and approval of a proposed settlement under Rule 9019 of the Federal Rules of Bankruptcy Procedure.
- Represented the indenture trustees of the pre-LBO debt of the Tribune Company in multi-district litigation seeking to avoid and disgorge payments made to shareholders in the Tribune LBO.
- Represented the Tribune Litigation Trust in pursing claims including fraudulent conveyance and breach of fiduciary duty against former Tribune shareholders and current and former Tribune officers and directors.
- Represented one of the major creditors in the LightSquared, Inc. bankruptcy case.
- Defended a group of banks in litigation brought against them by Lehman Brothers Special Financing Inc. in the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy cause seeking to disgorge payments made under ISDA agreements.
- Represented a large publishing company in a high-profile libel litigation in federal court.
- Represented a major bondholder of Spectrum Brands in contested confirmation proceedings relating to valuation and reinstatement.
- Represented a post-confirmation liquidating trust in the breach of fiduciary duty litigation, resulting in the withdrawal of the challenged transaction.
- Conducted an independent audit committee investigation of potential securities and accounting violations by a publicly traded company.
- Served as special litigation counsel to an asbestos debtor in litigation respecting the estimation of asbestos-related liability.
- Represented one of Russia’s largest wireless carries in federal securities litigation.
- Represented a bankruptcy estate in litigation regarding post-closing asset purchase agreement disputes relating to working capital adjustments, management fee calculation and liability assumptions.
- Columbia Law School
- (J.D., 2002)
- University of Michigan
- (B.A., with honors, 1997)
- The State Bar of New York
- Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld LLP:
- Partner, 2011-2019
- Ranked by The Best Lawyers in America, Bankruptcy and Creditor Debtor Rights / Insolvency and Reorganization Law, 2024
- Ranked by Legal 500 USA, Finance: Restructuring (including bankruptcy), “Recommended Lawyers”, 2023
- Recognized by Euromoney’s Women in Business Law for Litigation, 2022
- Selected as a LawDragon 500 Leading Bankruptcy and Restructuring Lawyer, 2022, 2023
- Selected as a 2016 “Rising Star” in bankruptcy litigation by Law360.
- Firm Memorandum: Post-Merit Decision Finds that Section 546(e) Safe Harbor Protection for Leveraged Buyouts is Alive and Well, (May 2019).
- The Privilege is Mine by David M. Zensky, Deborah Newman.