Hinsdale, IL – On Tuesday, March 3, Hawthorne began its quest to reorganize and get racing headed back in the right direction. They had filed for Chapter 11 last Friday.
The judge originally assigned to the case recused herself on Friday, and a new judge is now presiding over the case.
After a grueling six-and-a-half-hour session with no extended breaks, at approximately 5:30, the judge made his first opinion known. He stated that he believes the Illinois horsemen should be paid. He believes they should qualify as a “critical vendor.” He wanted employees of Hawthorne who had been working without pay recently to be paid by their next scheduled payroll, which is this Thursday.
The judge stated he is inclined to approve payment to the horsemen, but asked that a specific motion be filed tomorrow, similar to the motion Hawthorne is filing to approve payroll for its employees.
Once that motion is filed, the court will take it up at the follow-up hearing scheduled for next week.
This is a very encouraging development and an important step toward ensuring horsemen are paid.
The Illinois Harness Horsemen’s Association will continue working with our attorneys and monitoring the case closely to protect the interests of our members.
We will provide additional updates as this process moves forward.
Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association Update
The Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association also provided an update on Hawthorne, the conversion of the track for their meet, back pay for employees, and the possibility of the funds in the horsemen’s accounts being released next week.
To read that story from the ITHA, click here.