Gordon Z. Novod

Gordon is a renowned bankruptcy lawyer with more than 20 years of experience representing litigation trustees, ad hoc and official committees, distressed investors, lenders, indenture trustees, trade creditors, and other parties in complex, landmark restructurings and litigation matters. 

Gordon has extensive experience litigating issues related to corporate debt securities in default and distressed situations, including exchange transactions, redemptions, and the Trust Indenture Act. He has litigated all aspects of Chapter 11 plans of reorganization, valuation, and plan confirmation proceedings, contested debtor-in-possession financing and cash collateral use, the pursuit of fraudulent transfer actions, and other matters involving bankruptcy-related litigation. 

Gordon provides high-quality advocacy to clients, keeping their business objectives in mind. He is able to grasp complex legal and business issues in order to craft and implement innovative yet practical solutions to maximize value for clients. He is recognized by top legal industry publications, including Chambers USA, where he is described as “superb” and “very intelligent, detail-focused, practical and task-oriented.” 

Gordon is a frequent writer and speaker on bankruptcy-related issues. He is the author of Driving the Recovery Bus: Augmenting Creditor Recoveries Through Claims Brought by a Litigation Trustee.

Gordon's recent experience includes:

• Litigation counsel for Bed Bath & Beyond, Inc. and its Plan Administrator in litigation against the debtors’ former directors and officers asserting breach of fiduciary duty claims, and in arbitration against KPMG asserting professional malpractice and negligence claims
• Litigation counsel for the Loyalty Ventures Inc. Liquidating Trust in litigation against the debtors’ former parent company, directors, and others asserting breach of fiduciary duty claims, as well as actual and constructive fraudulent transfer claims
• Litigation counsel for the Rite Aid Sub-Trust B in litigation against the debtors’ commercial general liability insurance carriers asserting claims for coverage under Rite Aid’s general commercial liability insurance
• Litigation counsel for the GBG USA Litigation Trust in litigation against the debtors’ former controlling shareholders, directors, and officers, and others asserting breach of fiduciary duty claims, unlawful dividend claims, as well as actual and constructive fraudulent transfer claims
• Litigation counsel for the High Ridge Brands Liquidating Trust in litigation against the debtors’ former directors, sponsor, and sponsor-affiliated lender asserting breach of fiduciary duty claims, common law fraud, and other claims
• Litigation counsel for an ad hoc creditor committee of trade creditors of JoAnn Inc. in litigation against certain of the debtors’ former officers and employees asserting common law fraud and negligent misrepresentation claims
• Litigation counsel for the Amyris, Inc. Creditor Trust in litigation of claims against Amyris’s former Chief Executive Officer asserting breach of fiduciary duty claims
• Litigation counsel for the Appvion Liquidating Trust in litigation against the debtors’ former directors, officers, and others asserting breach of fiduciary duty and unlawful dividend claims

Author, Driving the Recovery Bus: Augmenting Creditor Recoveries Through Claims Brought by a Litigation Trustee, American Bankruptcy Institute (April 2024)

Author, Reassessing the Impact of Merit Management after In re /IC Global Trade Finance Fund Ltd., Special Feature at the Creditor Rights Coalition (December 15, 2024)

Author, ERISA Pre-Emption Does Not Offer a “Get Out of Jail Free card” for an ESOP's D&Os, American Bankruptcy Institute Journal (November 2021)

Author, The Next Chapter; When a defendant files for bankruptcy, it triggers a unique set of procedures, standards, and deadlines. Here's an overview of how the bankruptcy system works and where your client's claim fits in, Trial Magazine (May 2021)

Panelist, Rules and Ethical Consequences of Non-Disclosure of Conflicts, Institutional Investor Educational Foundation 2025 Litigation Update
(February 4, 2025)

Presenter, The Impact of the Supreme Court's Prohibition of Non­Consensual Third Party Releases, Grant & Eisenhofer Webinar (July 9, 2024)

Speaker, Bankruptcy and the Archdiocese of Baltimore Litigation, Maryland Association for Justice, Webinar (April 4, 2024)

Speaker, Bankruptcy and the Archdiocese of Baltimore Litigation, Maryland Association for Justice, Webinar (November 14, 2023)

Panelist, Making the Most of a Litigation Trust's Retained Causes of Action, American Bankruptcy lnstitute's Annual Winter Leadership Conference
(December 9, 2022)

Discussion Leader, U.S. Insolvency Trends and the Offshore Impact, Institutional Investor Educational Foundation -Grand Cayman Roundtable (November 17, 2022) 

Discussion Leader, International Litigation Update, Institutional Investor Educational Foundation -Grand Cayman Roundtable (November 17, 2022)

Presenter, Decoding the Texas Two-Step from a Plaintiff's Perspective, Grant & Eisenhofer Webinar (May 3, 2022)

Presenter, Business Interruption Insurance Claims in Bankruptcy; An Unappreciated Asset Class for Debtors and Creditors, Grant & Eisenhofer Webinar (March 9, 2021)

Presenter, Current Issues in Fraudulent Transfer Law, Grant & Eisenhofer Webinar (October 14, 2020)

Discussion Leader, In Pari Delicto under U.S. Law, Institutional Investor Educational Foundation -Grand Cayman Roundtable {February 12, 2020)

Discussion Leader, Minority Rights: Strategies for Protecting your rights with respect to Loans, Bonds and Common Shares, Institutional Investor Educational Foundation -Bankruptcy Litigation Roundtable (October 25, 2019)

Discussion Leader, In Pari Delicto, Institutional Investor Educational Foundation -Bankruptcy Litigation Roundtable (October 25, 2019)

Discussion Leader, Director Duties in Restructurings, Institutional Investor Educational Foundation -Bankruptcy Litigation Roundtable (November 30, 2018)

Moderator, Current Issues in Bankruptcy & Antitrust, Institutional Investor Educational Foundation -17us Global Shareholder Activism Conference
(November 30 - December l, 2017)

Speaker, Out-of-Court Restructuring and the Trust Indenture Act, Institutional Investor Legal Forum Fall 2016 Roundtable {October 28, 2016)

Discussion Leader, E&P Restructurings -A Landscape Unlike Traditional Restructurings, Institutional Investor Educational Foundation - Bankruptcy Litigation Roundtable (October 6, 2016)

Discussion Leader, Fraudulent Conveyance Actions, the Trust Indenture Act and No Action Clauses - New Rights for Bondholders? Institutional Investor Educational Foundation - Bankruptcy Litigation Roundtable (October 21, 2015).