Introduction
The First Brands bankruptcy case docket is the court's running record of petitions, motions, objections, hearings, and orders. Headlines rarely tell you whether a request was only filed, actively contested, or approved by the judge.
That gap matters to creditors, suppliers, restructuring professionals, distressed investors, counsel, and researchers. A proposed plan is not a confirmed plan. A reported settlement is not an approved one.
This guide shows you where the official docket lives, how to verify the case details, which events shaped the case, and how to read the filings that bear on recoveries. Everything below is current as of October 20, 2026.
Key Takeaways
- The lead case is 25-90399 (CML) in the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division.
- Plan confirmation was denied on August 24, 2026, and remaining cases were converted to Chapter 7.
- Treat plans, financing terms, and recoveries as proposals until a signed order says otherwise.
- Start with PACER and the claims agent's site, then layer in monitoring tools.
First Brands Bankruptcy Case Overview
Court, Debtors, and Case Number
The lead caption is In re First Brands Group, LLC, et al., Case No. 25-90399 (CML). It is jointly administered in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division, before Judge Christopher M. Lopez.
Global Assets LLC and 12 affiliates filed on September 24, 2025. First Brands Group, LLC and 98 affiliates followed, with petitions beginning September 28, 2025. The claims agent's debtor schedule lists 112 debtor entities with individual case numbers, so the parent is not the only debtor. Use that schedule for exact legal names.
The Business and Why It Matters
According to the chief restructuring officer's September 29, 2025 declaration (Docket 22), First Brands is a global aftermarket-parts supplier with more than 25 brands, including FRAM and Raybestos. It reports about 26,000 employees worldwide, nearly 6,000 in the U.S., and roughly $5 billion in audited 2024 net sales. Those are company-reported figures.
Stated Reasons for Filing
The declaration points to tariff and geopolitical pressure, a paused global refinancing, and alleged factoring irregularities that strained liquidity. These are the debtors' statements, not court findings.
Reported Debt Figures
The declaration reports:
- About $800 million in unsecured supply-chain-finance liabilities
- About $2.3 billion in factoring liabilities
- About $4.75 billion in first-lien term loans and $540 million in second-lien debt
- About $226.9 million in ABL/LOC obligations, with roughly $23 million left available shortly before filing
Reuters reported debt above $11 billion in June 2026. That is a press aggregate, not a court-confirmed balance-sheet total. A consolidated asset and liability range is not readily available from the court record, and per-debtor petition ranges should not be added together as a group figure.
Key Professionals
- Alvarez & Marsal: Charles M. Moore served as CRO; A&M was retained September 5, 2025.
- Weil and Lazard: retained in early August 2025 for restructuring and financing advice.
- Kroll: claims and noticing agent.
- Unsecured creditors' committee: appointed October 9, 2025, advised by Brown Rudnick, Cole Schotz, and M3 Advisory Partners.
- Examiner: Martin De Luca, appointed January 9, 2026.
- Chapter 7 trustee: Eva S. Engelhart, interim trustee for the FBG Debtors since September 1, 2026.
Case posture and figures can change as schedules, orders, and investigations are filed.
How to Access and Verify the First Brands Bankruptcy Docket
Know Your Sources
The official docket sits with the court and is reachable through PACER. Kroll's case site is a claims-agent repository that may organize documents differently. News reports and third-party databases are secondary. Check them against the court record.
Search Steps
- Open PACER Find a Case or the PACER Case Locator and search 25-90399. Account creation is free.
- Confirm the court, division, and debtor name.
- For any entry, verify the docket number, filing date, filing party, title, attachments, and whether a judge signed an order.
- Cross-check against Kroll's docket page.
The Southern District of Texas case-search page is another starting point, and the court offers free PACER access at public terminals.
Documents to Pull First
- Voluntary petitions and the first-day declaration (Docket 22)
- Schedules and statements of financial affairs
- Signed orders, including DIP orders
- Hearing notices
- Plan, disclosure statement, and conversion orders
- Chapter 7 notices on claims
Access Limits
PACER charges $0.10 per page, capped at $3 per document. Fees are waived when your quarterly total is $30 or less.
Bankruptcy papers are generally public under 11 U.S.C. §107(a), but §107(b) and Rule 9018 allow protection of trade secrets and confidential commercial information. Rule 9037 requires redaction of personal identifiers.
Expect sealed, redacted, and amended documents. For example, Docket 3938 is a sealed trustee witness and exhibit list.
Supplementing Primary Research
BankruptcyData, a U.S. bankruptcy and restructuring intelligence provider, offers court documents, docket intelligence, stakeholder data, and historical case records across 45+ years of filings. It works as a supplement to primary-source research. Confirm material conclusions against the official docket.
Key Docket Events and Current Case Status
Timeline
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Sept. 24-29, 2025 | Petitions filed; Docket 22 first-day declaration filed Sept. 29 |
| Sept. 30, 2025 | Docket 135: Onset Financial objects to emergency DIP motion, seeking protection for leased inventory and equipment |
| Oct. 9, 2025 | U.S. Trustee appoints unsecured creditors' committee |
| Nov. 9, 2025 | Docket 608: final DIP order |
| Jan. 9, 2026 | Court approves examiner Martin De Luca |
| June-July 2026 | Debtors solicit votes on a proposed Chapter 11 plan; voting deadline July 20 |
| Aug. 24, 2026 | Court denies confirmation |
| Sept. 1, 2026 | Docket 3748: remaining Chapter 11 cases converted to Chapter 7 |
Some debtors converted earlier, on April 9, 2026.
The DIP Financing
The final DIP order (Docket 608) provided $1.1 billion in new money, a $1.5 billion interim roll-up, and a $1.8 billion final roll-up. Bank of America, as successor to Goldman Sachs Bank USA, is identified as ABL agent. For the full lender allocation, milestones, and amendment history, consult Docket 608 directly.
Onset's objection was an objection only, not a ruling.
Investigations
The examiner's appointment is on the record. Specific examiner findings are not readily available. Keep allegations in pleadings, investigative findings, and judicial determinations clearly separate.
Where the Case Stands
As of October 20, 2026, the lead case is in Chapter 7 with a trustee. Docket 3753, the Chapter 7 notice, says no proof-of-claim deadline is set and no property appears available to pay creditors. Creditors are told not to file a claim now; the Clerk will send another notice if that changes.
The latest verified entry is Docket 3938, filed October 19, tied to a hearing scheduled for October 21. Confirm that entry's substance and the hearing outcome on the docket. No later deadline is readily available.
Major Filings, Disputes, and Stakeholder Implications
Reading the Core Filings
- Petition and schedules: show debtors, assets, liabilities, and counterparties, entity by entity.
- Monthly operating reports and cash budgets: show how liquidity moved over time.
- Claims register: shows who has asserted what, and how amounts change.
Compare early and amended versions. Figures often shift.
Disputes and Proposals
The factoring and financing issues come from the CRO's declaration, which is the debtors' account. Onset's Docket 135 objection concerned leased collateral under the DIP request.
The proposed plan and disclosure statement described monetizing remaining FBG Debtor assets and allocating estate-claim recoveries, including Class 3 litigation-trust interests. It excluded claims against SPV Debtors.
Because confirmation was denied on August 24, 2026, it set no operative class recoveries. No numeric recovery estimate or liquidation analysis is readily available.
Statutory Context
Section 507 sets priority order, and §1129 sets confirmation requirements, including the fair-and-equitable standard for dissenting classes. These statutes frame the analysis but do not establish any First Brands creditor's allowed claim or recovery.
What It Means by Stakeholder
- Suppliers and trade creditors: the Chapter 7 notice says not to file a claim yet. Watch for a Clerk's notice.
- Secured and distressed investors: review the DIP order, roll-up terms, and the trustee's activity.
- Employees and customers: conversion signals a wind-down rather than reorganization.
- Counsel and credit teams: log the denial of confirmation and the conversion order as key precedents and exposure events.
How Professionals Can Monitor the Case
Monitoring Checklist
- Subscribe to Kroll's docket scheduler for daily, weekly, or monthly emails.
- Use PACER RSS alerts where the court offers them.
- Track hearings, starting with October 21.
- Save signed orders and compare amended pleadings.
- Record deadlines in a case chronology.
Prioritize by Role
- Attorneys: objections, rulings, and the confirmation denial.
- Creditors: Chapter 7 claims notices and trustee reports.
- Investors: DIP liens, collateral, and recovery filings.
- Suppliers: claims notices and any asset-related filings.
- Risk teams: counterparty and customer developments.
Source Hierarchy
Work sources in this order:
- Signed orders and operative docket entries
- Declarations, exhibits, and claims-agent materials
- Reputable reporting (context only)
The U.S. Courts' Chapter 11 guide is a useful general procedure reference.
Where BankruptcyData Fits
For teams monitoring many cases, BankruptcyData provides:
- Alerts and saved searches
- Docket and court-document research
- Historical case data
- Licensed datasets and API feeds
- MCP server connectivity for compatible AI assistants
Verify key conclusions against the official docket.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where was the First Brands bankruptcy case filed?
In the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, Houston Division. First Brands Group, LLC filed September 28, 2025; Global Assets LLC and 12 affiliates filed September 24, 2025.
How can I access the First Brands bankruptcy docket?
Search case 25-90399 on PACER or the court's case-search page. Kroll's First Brands site offers supplemental notices and a docket subscription option.
What is the First Brands bankruptcy case number?
The lead case is 25-90399 (CML). Affiliated debtors have separate numbers; Global Assets LLC is 25-90383. Kroll's debtor schedule lists all 112.
Is First Brands still in Chapter 11?
No. As of October 20, 2026, the lead case is in Chapter 7, effective September 1, 2026, after confirmation was denied on August 24.
What are the most important First Brands bankruptcy filings to review?
Start with the first-day declaration (Docket 22), the final DIP order (Docket 608), the plan and disclosure statement, the conversion order (Docket 3748), and the Chapter 7 notice (Docket 3753).
Where can creditors find claims and noticing information?
Check Kroll's case site and the official docket. The September 1 notice sets no bar date and says not to file a claim now; a further Clerk's notice would announce any deadline.
