Caesars Entertainment's Survival May Depend on Billionaire Dropping Bankruptcy Fight

Las Vegas at night. Image source: Getty Images.

Caesars Entertainment seemed to get a little reprieve this week when a judge granted a temporary halt to lawsuits brought by junior bondholders in Caesars Entertainment Operating Company's (CEOC) bankruptcy. The lawsuits are over a series of transactions that basically ended with Caesars Entertainment being split into a "good Caesars" and a "bad Caesars." The bad company, CEOC, held most of the debt and most of the worst-performing properties, and, not surprisingly, went bankrupt.

But the parent company has avoided bankruptcy by saying it's protected from debtors in CEOC's bankruptcy. The bankruptcy court examiner's report and comments from the judge indicate that Caesars was in the wrong, and the judgment against the company, and its private equity owners, could amount to billions. But rather than force Caesars Entertainment into bankruptcy, the judge has given all parties until August 29 to reach a restructuring deal. And that deal may rest on the appetite of a few billionaires to either drop the fight or keep it going.

Don't mess with David Tepper

David Tepper, the hedge fund manager at Appaloosa Management L.P., is one of the lead holdouts in Caesars Entertainment's proposed restructuring plan. And it's easy to see why.

As part of bankruptcy negotiations, CEOC has offered senior lenders 113%-117% of what they're owed in cash, debt, and new company equity. Senior bondholders have been offered 96%-128% of their original value, and junior bondholders, where Tepper falls in line, would get 22%-48% of what they're owed, depending partly on whether they accept the plan.

Here's the problem for Caesars Entertainment. The offer to junior bondholders isn't much of a premium to the level they were likely purchased, and Tepper is challenging whether or not the transactions Caesars made were illegal. And if they were, directors may be liable for fraudulent transaction. That's a great negotiating position if you're Tepper. And he could take the company all the way to bankruptcy if he chooses to take the battle that far.

The bankruptcy court's examiner's report sums up the transactions like this:

The clock is ticking

There's now a little over two months for all of the parties involved to come to an agreement or Caesars Entertainment may be in trouble. Unless the offer to junior creditors is sweetened significantly, I don't see them coming to a deal. But Caesars Entertainment also has limited assets left to offer creditors without wiping out equity holders (i.e., going into bankruptcy), so I'm not sure how much more it can offer.

Unless David Tepper gives up this fight, shareholders in Caesars Entertainment are facing an uphill battle. And I wouldn't want to be on the opposite side of Tepper, especially when all indications are that his lawsuit against Caesars Entertainment has a lot of merit.

The article Caesars Entertainment's Survival May Depend on Billionaire Dropping Bankruptcy Fight originally appeared on Fool.com.

Travis Hoium has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool is short Caesars Entertainment. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.