Marsha A. Houston

Marsha is a member of the Firm’s Executive Committee. Marsha practices in the area of commercial restructuring and bankruptcy. Marsha's clients praise her for her practical thinking, strategic advice, and creative solutions. Marsha focuses her national practice on the representation of financial institutions, private equity funds, hedge funds, secured and unsecured lenders, creditors committees, entertainment clients, receivers, trustees, manufacturers and investors, primarily in litigation, enforcement, restructuring, and Chapter 11 reorganization matters, assignments for the benefit of creditors, a broad range of bankruptcy and creditors’ rights matters, and the protection of intellectual property rights. She also negotiates and documents loan restructuring transactions, debtor-in-possession financing, asset acquisition agreements, out-of-court restructurings, and workouts. Marsha's practice has included such industries as: entertainment, construction, engineering and design, retail, manufacturing, real estate, energy, airlines, mining, oil and gas, hospitality, time-share, leisure and resort properties, and health care.

Experience

Representative matters

Represent Construction, Engineering and Design Company in connection with $300 million project and Chapter 15 proceeding of key subcontractor.

Represent Construction, Engineering and Design Company in connection with $80 million claim in Nuclear Power Plant Chapter 11.

Represent Construction, Engineering and Design Company and other trade creditors with claims in excess of $30 million in PG&E Chapter 11 case.

Represent Construction, Engineering and Design Company in connection with $300 million project and Chapter 15 proceeding of key subcontractor.

Represent Construction, Engineering and Design Company in connection with $80 million claim in Nuclear Power Plant Chapter 11.

Represent Construction, Engineering and Design Company and other trade creditors with claims in excess of $30 million in PG&E Chapter 11 case.

Represent Retail Clothing Manufacturer and Sourcing Agent in $60 million breach of contract, fraud and fraudulent transfer suit.

Represent Agent Bank in $95 million loan restructure with California and Arizona home builder.

Represent Agent Bank in $35 million equipment loan restructure with gold and silver mining company.

Represent lender in $120 million office building receiverships/workouts in San Francisco.

Represent lender in $100 million multi-state complex real estate loan restructure.

Represent numerous loan servicers in multi-million dollar defaults and enforcement actions involving skilled nursing and healthcare centers.

Represent architecture and engineering company in $80 million claim dispute with coal power plant Chapter 11 debtor.

Represent lender in $60 million real estate and yacht loan workout.

Represent lender in $60 million retail/office mixed use loan workout.

Represent lender in $55 million loan restructure with real estate developers of apartment complexes in Houston, Texas.

Represent lender in $45 million hotel loan workout.

Represent lender in $31 million aircraft loan workout.

Represent lender in $25 million real estate claim; successfully defeating counterclaims and lender liability claims of over $200 million in multi-jurisdictional litigation spanning more than five courts.

Represent lender in $25 million loan restructure with national homebuilder.

Represent lender in $16.5 million retail/office mixed use loan workout.

Represent lender in $12 million aircraft loan restructure.

Represent lender in approx. $10 million loan restructure with major oil and gas production and development company.

Represent lender in $10 million receivership of commercial real property loan.

Represent lender in $8 million aircraft loan workout.

Represent lender in $8 million retail and land development loan workout.

Represent lender in $5 million receivership of oil and gas transportation company.

Represent television and film studio in $15 million dispute with Blockbuster.

Represent television and film studio in $5 million dispute with Movie Gallery.

30 plus years of representing studio and entertainment clients in intellectual property, licensing, critical vendor issues in bankruptcy matters throughout the country, including Columbia House, KSL Media, Axium, Blockbuster, Aramid Entertainment, Circuit City, Movie Gallery, Kodak, Marvel, Carolco, Loews, General Cinemas, United Artists, Silver Cinemas, Carmike Cinemas, Edwards Theatres, O’Neil Theatres, Resort Theatres of America and Regal Cinemas

Represent lenders in connection with defaulted loans to oil & gas servicing and logistic companies.

Represent chapter 7 trustee in connection with recovery of insurance proceeds and multi-million dollar claims recovery against insiders and various parties.

Represent chapter 7 trustee in connection with ligation and negotiation of settlement of multi-million dollar WARN act labor claims.

Represented unsecured creditors committee in chapter 11 bankruptcy case of paint manufacturer.

Represent Texas state court appointed Receiver in multi-million defaulted homebuilder restructure.

Recognitions

Named one of 2018’s Most Influential Women Attorneys by Los Angeles Business Journal

Credentials

Education

University of Texas School of Law, 1987, J.D.
University of Texas at Arlington, 1983, B.A., Political Science

Professional admissions & qualifications

California

Court admissions

U.S. Court of Appeals - Ninth Circuit
U.S. District Court - Northern District of California
U.S. District Court - Southern District of California
U.S. District Court - Central District of California

Professional affiliations

Financial Lawyers Conference
Los Angeles Bankruptcy Forum
Women Lawyers Association of Los Angeles
International Women's Insolvency and Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC)
Charter member, IWIRC’s Los Angeles Chapter

Clerkships

U.S. Bankruptcy Court - Central District of California, Honorable Lisa Hill Fenning

Practices

Restructuring & Insolvency

Trials & Arbitrations

Industries

Financial Services

Nuclear