Law Firms
Advised by Sidley Austin, Tribune Co. Files for Bankruptcy
Posted Dec 8, 2008, 01:05 pm CST
By Debra Cassens Weiss
Updated: The Tribune Co. has filed for bankruptcy, aided by the law firm Sidley Austin.
The Chicago Tribune, a newspaper owned by the company, reported the bankruptcy filing Monday afternoon. The petition was filed in federal bankruptcy court in Delaware, the Associated Press reports.
The company had faced a deadline of today to pay off a $70 million loan, prompting company officials to weigh the restructuring, the Chicago Tribune reported earlier Monday. The Tribune could have avoided a bankruptcy filing by drawing on an existing line of credit.
The company has a long-standing relationship with Sidley Austin, according to the Tribune.
Real estate developer Sam Zell bought the Tribune Co. in an $8.2 billion leveraged buyout last December. The troubled economy has hurt the newspaper’s advertising and slowed the company’s efforts to sell the Chicago Cubs, the New York Times reports.
Updated at 1:04 p.m. CT to include news of the bankruptcy filing Monday afternoon.
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