Cherie Nobles

Practice Areas

Cherie Dessauer Nobles is special counsel in Fishman Haygood's Litigation Section. She works in the bankruptcy practice group of the firm and concentrates on debtor and creditor rights.

Career

Cherie has experience in representing large, complex companies and small companies in bankruptcy. Her experience includes representation of debtors, trustees, unsecured creditors’ committees, and creditors in commercial bankruptcy and workout business cases in chapter 11 and chapter 7 bankruptcy proceedings.

As part of the firm's bankruptcy team, Cherie has had significant experience successfully representing creditors’ committees in Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi, including Energy XXI, Louisiana Heart Hospital, Acadiana Management Group, Petroquest Energy and Seahawk Drilling, and debtors, like Knight Energy Holdings and Harvest Oil & Gas, in major bankruptcy cases. The team has been a key participant in bankruptcy cases and workouts across the country.

Most recently, Cherie was part of the Fishman Haygood team retained to defend TD Financial against potential preference actions in the bankruptcy case of Thermaldyne, LLC (Case No. 22-10053) in the United States Bankruptcy Court (Middle District of Louisiana). In March 2024, the case successfully concluded with no payment by firm’s client.

Fishman Haygood, including members of both the firm’s bankruptcy and real estate teams, was also recently retained as special counsel by the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors in the MLCJR LLC, et al., Chapter 11 bankruptcy case. Under the engagement, the team provided legal advice to the Committee for any issues related to Louisiana law, as well as any issues the Committee deemed necessary to fulfill its obligations. The jointly administered cases were heard by the Hon. Christopher Lopez in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas – Houston Division. The $175+ MM case then converted to Chapter 7, and the Chapter 7 Trustee engaged Fishman Haygood as special litigation counsel to investigate and evaluate potential legal claims, make recommendations to the Chapter 7 Trustee, and file and prosecute recommended litigation.

That appointment was in addition to Cherie and the bankruptcy team being chosen to represent the Official Committee of Unsecured Creditors of S2 Operating, LLC (an oil and gas provider) in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana (New Orleans). This case remains pending.

Additionally, the team represented the Chapter 11 Trustee in a jointly administered bankruptcy case of Westbank Holdings, Inc., in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana (New Orleans). The Debtors also had significant insurance claims stemming from Hurricane Ida, vandalism, theft, and fires that Fishman Haygood prosecuted and settled on behalf of the Liquidating Trust.

Cherie and the Fishman Haygood team also represent a Chapter 11 Trustee in another apartment complex case in the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Chateau Creole Apartments, LLC. Fishman Haygood has been retained as special counsel to handle the debtor’s claims stemming from Hurricane Ida and related vandalism. This case is currently pending.

Professional Memberships

Cherie is the former network co-chair for the International Women’s Insolvency & Restructuring Confederation (IWIRC) in Louisiana, and she previously served as committee chair for the bankruptcy section of the New Orleans Bar Association.

Work Highlights

Significantly, Cherie also served as part of the Fishman Haygood team that provided bankruptcy counsel to the law firm Clark, Love & Hutson (“CLH”), which is a member of the Plaintiff Steering Committee representing approximately 15,000 claimants in the pending multidistrict 3M Combat Arms Earplug Products liability litigation (the largest MDL ever) at the center of the bankruptcy cases filed by Aearo Technologies LLC and six affiliated debtors on Jul. 26, 2022. On Aug. 26, 2022, after a days-long trial, the United States Bankruptcy Judge Jeffrey Graham of the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Indiana - Indianapolis Division ruled in favor of CLH’s clients and similarly situated military veterans with hearing loss claims related to 3M earplugs. This was a landmark ruling that allowed the claimants to continue the multidistrict litigation against 3M, a significant victory for the claimants. As a result, 3M agreed to a $6 billion out-of-court settlement in August 2023.

Experience

Cherie is also a frequent speaker, and most recently served as a panelist at the 28th and 27th Louisiana State University Annual Bankruptcy Law Conferences.