DOJ Seeks to Consolidate Jackson Walker Judge Romance Lawsuits

A slew of disputes over whether Texas law firm Jackson Walker LLP must return millions in fees for failing to disclose an onetime partner’s romance with a former prominent bankruptcy judge should be tried together, a Justice Department unit told a federal judge.

The challenges in the 33 bankruptcy cases all involve the failure of Jackson Walker to disclose a relationship between former Judge David R. Jones and former Jackson Walker partner Elizabeth Freeman, the US Trustee’s office said in a motion filed Monday in the US District Court for the Southern District of Texas.

Consolidation into a single proceeding makes sense because the disputes involve the same set of facts over the timeline of the relationship and Jackson Walker’s actions, the bankruptcy watchdog told presiding Judge Alia Moses of the US District Court for the Western District of Texas. Orders approving Jackson Walker’s retention and compensation, objections to final fee applications, and sanctions are also involved, the US Trustee said.

“Judicial economy favors trying all the relief sought by the U.S. Trustee against Jackson Walker in the same forum and at the same time,” the US Trustee said.

In a separate filing Monday, Jackson Walker said consolidation is premature.

The motions come ahead of a May 22 status conference in front of Moses, after she canceled a trial in the disputes planned for this week.

Moses last month took the fights away from the Houston bankruptcy court where Jones previously presided. Moses said removal was in the best interest of uniformity, economy, and expediency, but also said the cases needed “stiff measures” and “to reestablish public trust and confidence in the court system.”

The US Trustee is pushing to vacate orders approving up to $23 million that Jackson Walker earned in large bankruptcy cases. Its effort began after the 2023 revelation of a romantic and financial relationship between Jones and Freeman.

Before Moses took the cases, the US Trustee had criticized the fragmented approach to adjudicating the proceedings among multiple bankruptcy judges as costly and inefficient.

Jackson Walker is represented by Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP and Rusty Hardin & Associates LLP.

The case is In re Prof’l Fee Matters Concerning Jackson Walker Law Firm, S.D. Tex., No. 23-04787, motion 5/12/25.