Brooks Brothers’ minority shareholders and unsecured creditors, TAL Apparel Ltd. (“TAL Apparel”) and its subsidiary Castle Apparel Ltd. (“Castle”), recently brought an action against the men’s retailer’s former owners, the Del Vecchio family. TAL Apparel and Castle allege bad faith and more than $100 million in damages for losses arising from the Brooks Brothers bankruptcy. TAL Apparel alleges that the Del Vecchio family did not engage “in good faith” with potential buyers in 2019, and “put their own financial interests ahead of the Company” by refusing to pursue bids for acquisition prior to filing for chapter 11 in 2020.  According to TAL Apparel and Castle, Brooks Brothers was sold for $325 million to SPARC group in 2020, “for a fraction of the price set forth in the 2019 bids.” This case will test the extent of protection provided to business owners who liquidate in chapter 11.

The case is Castle Apparel Ltd. et al. v. Del Vecchio et al., No. 1:21-cv-04406, (S.D.N.Y. 2021).

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Stephen Selbst

Stephen Selbst is the co-chair of Herrick’s Restructuring & Finance Litigation Group. He has more than 30 years of experience representing debtors, creditors, official committees, distressed investors and asset purchasers in bankruptcies and out-of-court restructurings. Stephen advises clients from a wide range of…

Stephen Selbst is the co-chair of Herrick’s Restructuring & Finance Litigation Group. He has more than 30 years of experience representing debtors, creditors, official committees, distressed investors and asset purchasers in bankruptcies and out-of-court restructurings. Stephen advises clients from a wide range of industries, including financial services, telecommunications, government agencies and real estate. A skilled commercial litigator, Stephen also has significant experience in district and state courts, where he regularly represents clients in separate litigation arising out of bankruptcy.  He also advises clients on structured finance and derivative transactions.

He is a frequent lecturer on bankruptcy and restructuring topics and has published articles and book chapters on bankruptcy-related topics. He has been frequently quoted in newspaper articles on insolvency related topics and has appeared on CNBC.

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Gabrielle Fromer

Gabrielle Fromer is a litigation associate in Herrick’s Restructuring & Finance Litigation Group, where she focuses her practice on bankruptcy and financial restructuring, complex commercial litigation, real estate disputes, and white collar criminal defense and investigations.

Gabrielle has done substantial pro bono work…

Gabrielle Fromer is a litigation associate in Herrick’s Restructuring & Finance Litigation Group, where she focuses her practice on bankruptcy and financial restructuring, complex commercial litigation, real estate disputes, and white collar criminal defense and investigations.

Gabrielle has done substantial pro bono work and helped to bring The Door’s Special Immigrant Juvenile Status Project to Herrick, assisting undocumented youth achieve this status in Family Court and later petition U.S. Customs and Immigration. Additionally, Gabrielle is an active contributor to the City Bar Justice Center’s COVID-19 Small Business Legal Clinic, advising small business owners on real estate and bankruptcy related issues.

Prior to joining Herrick, Gabrielle worked as an Assistant District Attorney in the Trial Division of the Bronx County District Attorney’s Office where she conducted misdemeanor trials and presented felony matters to the grand jury.

While attending law school, Gabrielle served as the Senior Symposium Editor of the Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law, and worked as a student defense attorney through Georgetown’s Criminal Justice Clinic. As a law student, Gabrielle held internships with the New York County District Attorney’s Office and the Department of Justice. Additionally, Gabrielle summered as a judicial intern for U.S. Magistrate Judge Kevin Nathaniel Fox of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.

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