<p>作者：大卫·托马斯</p>
<p>1 月 16 日（路透社）- 一家投资公司起诉了律师事务所 Kirkland &amp; Ellis 和 Jackson Walker，指控这两家事务所代表切萨皮克能源（Chesapeake Energy）时隐瞒了一名 Jackson Walker 律师与主持该公司破产案的联邦法官之间的恋爱关系。EJS 投资控股公司（EJS Investment Holdings）是一家私人投资公司，周四在休斯顿联邦法院提起的集体诉讼中声称，其在切萨皮克能源的 1.5 亿美元股份因该公司的第 11 章退出计划而受到不公正的损害，该计划由这两家律师事务所制定并获得前美国破产法官大卫·琼斯（David Jones）的批准。</p>
<p>诉讼称，该计划使切萨皮克的机构投资者受益，而损害了像 EJS 这样的初级债权人，导致 6400 万美元的损失。</p>
<p>“可以肯定的是，没有任何没有私心的法官会批准琼斯所批准的计划，” EJS 在其诉讼中表示。琼斯曾负责美国最繁忙的破产案件，因承认与当时的 Jackson Walker 合伙人伊丽莎白·弗里曼（Elizabeth Freeman）同居，于 2023 年 10 月辞去法官职务。EJS 的诉讼还将琼斯、弗里曼和律师事务所 Brown Rudnick 列为被告。</p>
<p>Kirkland 的一位发言人在声明中表示，EJS 的诉讼毫无依据。</p>
<p>“</p>
<p>正如 Kirkland 一再明确表示的那样，正如美国受托人对 Jackson Walker 的程序所证明的，直到 2023 年 10 月这一关系公开之前，该事务所及其律师对琼斯法官与弗里曼女士之间的关系毫不知情，” 发言人表示。</p>
<p>Jackson Walker 的一位发言人拒绝发表评论。Brown Rudnick 的发言人没有立即回应评论请求，琼斯和弗里曼的律师也没有立即回应。EJS 表示，它在破产中提出了一个替代的恢复计划，但代表切萨皮克债权人委员会的 Brown Rudnick 的罗伯特·斯塔克（Robert Stark）拒绝为其辩护。“根据斯塔克的说法，违抗琼斯将是灾难性的，” 诉讼称。斯塔克未被列为被告，未立即回应评论请求。</p>
<p>EJS 指控 Brown Rudnick、Kirkland 和 Jackson Walker 都知道琼斯与弗里曼的关系，但未予披露。该公司代表其他切萨皮克能源债权人提起诉讼，并根据联邦反敲诈法（RICO）提出的索赔以及普通法民事阴谋、不当得利等索赔，寻求未指明金额的赔偿。</p>
<p>琼斯在 2021 年 1 月批准了一项计划，使切萨皮克能够以约 30 亿美元的新融资、70 亿美元的债务减免和 17 亿美元的天然气加工及管道成本削减从破产中复苏。琼斯签署了超过 3200 万美元的 Kirkland 费用、超过 90 万美元的 Jackson Walker 费用和超过 1500 万美元的 Brown Rudnick 费用。EJS 由 Bandas 律师事务所代表，该事务所已对琼斯、弗里曼和 Jackson Walker 提起过三起诉讼。该事务所还代表其他股东，他们表示在琼斯参与的破产案件中，其对某些公司的投资被抹去。两起诉讼仍在进行中，另一起已被驳回。</p>
<p>Bandas 律师事务所的米凯尔·韦斯特（Mikell West）和罗伯特·克洛尔（Robert Clore）未立即回应评论请求。</p>

<p>By David Thomas</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>作者：大卫·托马斯</p>
</div><p>Jan 16 (Reuters) - An investment firm has sued law firms Kirkland &amp; Ellis, and Jackson Walker over their work representing Chesapeake Energy, claiming the firms hid a romantic relationship between a Jackson Walker attorney and the federal judge who presided over the U.S. oil and gas producer’s bankruptcy. EJS Investment Holdings, a private investment firm, alleged in a proposed class action filed Thursday in Houston federal court that its $150 million stake in Chesapeake Energy was unfairly diminished by the company’s Chapter 11 exit plan, which was formulated by the law firms and approved by former U.S. Bankruptcy Judge David Jones.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>1 月 16 日（路透社）- 一家投资公司起诉了律师事务所 Kirkland &amp; Ellis 和 Jackson Walker，指控这两家事务所代表切萨皮克能源（Chesapeake Energy）时隐瞒了一名 Jackson Walker 律师与主持该公司破产案的联邦法官之间的恋爱关系。EJS 投资控股公司（EJS Investment Holdings）是一家私人投资公司，周四在休斯顿联邦法院提起的集体诉讼中声称，其在切萨皮克能源的 1.5 亿美元股份因该公司的第 11 章退出计划而受到不公正的损害，该计划由这两家律师事务所制定并获得前美国破产法官大卫·琼斯（David Jones）的批准。</p>
</div><p>The lawsuit alleged the plan benefitted Chesapeake’s institutional investors while harming junior creditors like EJS, resulting in $64 million in damages.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>诉讼称，该计划使切萨皮克的机构投资者受益，而损害了像 EJS 这样的初级债权人，导致 6400 万美元的损失。</p>
</div><p>“To be sure, no judge without ulterior motives would have approved the plan that Jones did,” EJS said in its lawsuit. Jones, who once oversaw the busiest bankruptcy docket in the U.S., resigned from the bench in October 2023 after admitting to sharing a home with then-Jackson Walker partner Elizabeth Freeman. EJS’s lawsuit also names Jones, Freeman, and law firm Brown Rudnick as defendants.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>“可以肯定的是，没有任何没有私心的法官会批准琼斯所批准的计划，” EJS 在其诉讼中表示。琼斯曾负责美国最繁忙的破产案件，因承认与当时的 Jackson Walker 合伙人伊丽莎白·弗里曼（Elizabeth Freeman）同居，于 2023 年 10 月辞去法官职务。EJS 的诉讼还将琼斯、弗里曼和律师事务所 Brown Rudnick 列为被告。</p>
</div><p>A Kirkland spokesperson said in a statement that EJS’s lawsuit is meritless.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>Kirkland 的一位发言人在声明中表示，EJS 的诉讼毫无依据。</p>
</div><p>“</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>“</p>
</div><p>As Kirkland has repeatedly made clear, and as the U.S. Trustee’s proceeding against Jackson Walker has demonstrated, the firm and its lawyers had no knowledge of the relationship between Judge Jones and Ms. Freeman until it became public in October 2023,” the spokesperson said.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>正如 Kirkland 一再明确表示的那样，正如美国受托人对 Jackson Walker 的程序所证明的，直到 2023 年 10 月这一关系公开之前，该事务所及其律师对琼斯法官与弗里曼女士之间的关系毫不知情，” 发言人表示。</p>
</div><p>A spokesperson for Jackson Walker declined to comment. A spokesperson for Brown Rudnick did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did attorneys for Jones and Freeman. EJS said it came up with an alternative recovery plan in the bankruptcy but that Robert Stark of Brown Rudnick, who represented the Chesapeake creditors’ committee, refused to advocate for it. “According to Stark, defying Jones would have been disastrous,” the lawsuit said. Stark, who is not named as a defendant, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>Jackson Walker 的一位发言人拒绝发表评论。Brown Rudnick 的发言人没有立即回应评论请求，琼斯和弗里曼的律师也没有立即回应。EJS 表示，它在破产中提出了一个替代的恢复计划，但代表切萨皮克债权人委员会的 Brown Rudnick 的罗伯特·斯塔克（Robert Stark）拒绝为其辩护。“根据斯塔克的说法，违抗琼斯将是灾难性的，” 诉讼称。斯塔克未被列为被告，未立即回应评论请求。</p>
</div><p>EJS alleged that Brown Rudnick; Kirkland; and Jackson Walker all knew of Jones’ relationship with Freeman but failed to disclose it. The company sued on behalf of other Chesapeake Energy creditors and is seeking an unspecified amount of money based on claims made under the federal anti-racketeering law known as RICO, as well as claims of common-law civil conspiracy, unjust enrichment and others.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>EJS 指控 Brown Rudnick、Kirkland 和 Jackson Walker 都知道琼斯与弗里曼的关系，但未予披露。该公司代表其他切萨皮克能源债权人提起诉讼，并根据联邦反敲诈法（RICO）提出的索赔以及普通法民事阴谋、不当得利等索赔，寻求未指明金额的赔偿。</p>
</div><p>Jones had in January 2021 approved a plan that allowed Chesapeake to emerge from bankruptcy with about $3 billion in new financing, a $7 billion reduction in debt, and $1.7 billion cut from gas processing and pipeline costs. Jones signed off on more than $32 million in fees for Kirkland, more than $900,000 in fees for Jackson Walker, and more than $15 million in fees for Brown Rudnick. EJS is represented by the Bandas Law Firm, which has filed three previous lawsuits against Jones, Freeman and Jackson Walker. The firm is representing other shareholders who said their investments in certain companies were wiped out in bankruptcy cases where Jones was involved before he resigned. Two of the lawsuits are still pending, while the other was dismissed.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>琼斯在 2021 年 1 月批准了一项计划，使切萨皮克能够以约 30 亿美元的新融资、70 亿美元的债务减免和 17 亿美元的天然气加工及管道成本削减从破产中复苏。琼斯签署了超过 3200 万美元的 Kirkland 费用、超过 90 万美元的 Jackson Walker 费用和超过 1500 万美元的 Brown Rudnick 费用。EJS 由 Bandas 律师事务所代表，该事务所已对琼斯、弗里曼和 Jackson Walker 提起过三起诉讼。该事务所还代表其他股东，他们表示在琼斯参与的破产案件中，其对某些公司的投资被抹去。两起诉讼仍在进行中，另一起已被驳回。</p>
</div><p>Mikell West and Robert Clore of the Bandas Law Firm did not immediately respond to a request for comment.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>Bandas 律师事务所的米凯尔·韦斯特（Mikell West）和罗伯特·克洛尔（Robert Clore）未立即回应评论请求。</p>
</div>

律师事务所 Kirkland 和 Jackson Walker 因法官的秘密恋情而面临新的诉讼