Attorneys Ralph Preite, Michelle McMahon, and Kyriaki Christodoulou Secure Significant Victory Against the U.S Department of Justice in Bankruptcy Case
June 9, 2025Attorneys Ralph Preite, Michelle McMahon, and Kyriaki Christodoulou have secured a significant victory against the Office of the United States Trustee, a division of the U.S. Department of Justice involving the venue of their client's Chapter 11 bankruptcy case. The client, a government information technology contractor, is seeking a buyer in the face of uncertainty due to mounting debts and federal budget cuts imposed by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
Due to the client's largest assets being located in the cloud, and therefore not tied to any particular U.S jurisdiction, our bankruptcy team argued that the client's retainer fee deposited with our firm - among the client’s next largest assets - was located in New York, establishing proper venue in the Southern District of New York. The Bankruptcy Court agreed and denied the U.S. Trustee’s motion to transfer the case to Virginia, saving the client the delay and expense associated with transfer out of New York.
Our associate Kyriaki Christodoulou handled the hearing and successfully argued against the transfer motion, and Cullen and Dykman is pleased to obtain this victory for our client.
About Cullen and Dykman’s Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights Practice
Cullen and Dykman’s Bankruptcy and Creditors’ Rights practice offers clients a unique perspective into the issues involved in complex bankruptcy proceedings in a wide range of industries. We have represented secured creditors, debtors, unsecured creditors’ committees, and individual unsecured creditors in Chapter 11 cases filed throughout the country, and we are skilled in resolving issues among various constituencies in complex Chapter 11 proceedings. We also have significant experience in out-of-court workouts, restructurings and bankruptcy litigation, and we have secured favorable results for our clients in complex bankruptcy cases throughout the country.
About Cullen and Dykman
Cullen and Dykman (www.cullenllp.com) has been providing legal services to institutional clients since 1850. The firm represents a wide range of clients, including banks and other financial institutions, energy, telecommunications and water companies, construction companies, insurers, educational institutions, religious organizations, and not-for-profits. With over 190 attorneys in seven offices located throughout the Northeast and MidAtlantic regions, Cullen and Dykman is strategically positioned to meet the changing needs and demands of our clients.