Deborah R.Huerta

Partner

Chicago + 1.312.269.4280

Deborah Huerta advises domestic and international clients on complex commercial real estate matters, including real estate private equity fund formations, joint ventures and programmatic joint ventures (GP and LP), restructurings and recapitalizations, development of real estate projects, acquisitions and dispositions of real estate and alternative assets, and leases, ground leases, and sale-leasebacks involving industrial, logistics, infrastructure, hospitality, entertainment, office, retail, and mixed-use sites. She also represents clients on the real estate aspects of M&A, energy, and bankruptcy transactions and assists the Firm's Fortune 500 clients with management of their real estate assets.

Deborah regularly works with clients such as Whitman/Peterson, Mill Creek Residential Trust, CBRE Investment Management, Henderson Park Capital Management, MARK Capital Management (f.k.a. Meyer Bergman), NW1 Partners, The Carlyle Group, Bally's Corporation, Blackstone, and International Motors (f.k.a. Navistar).

In addition, Deborah leverages her real estate knowledge and prior clerking experience to counsel clients on transactional and litigation pro bono matters. Her pro bono work has included representing Anixter Center, Family Focus, and Landmarks Illinois, as well as assisting a juvenile sentenced to life without parole in obtaining a reduced sentence under the Miller v. Alabama decision.

Deborah is also actively involved in programming with partner organizations of the Firm including After School Matters, the Anti-Defamation League, the Chicago Bar Foundation's Investing in Justice Campaign, and Working in the Schools.

Experience

  • Whitman/Peterson Partners IV, LP closes on $692 millionJones Day advised Whitman/Peterson LLC on the formation of Whitman/Peterson Partners IV, LP.
  • Whitman/Peterson forms joint venture with AutoCamp to acquire a hotel property in Moab, UtahJones Day advised Whitman/Peterson LLC in connection with its joint venture with AutoCamp to acquire a hotel property in Moab, Utah and renovate it to target travelers seeking outdoor athletic or adventure-type experiences.
  • Navistar sells Melrose Park, Illinois, campus to developerJones Day advised Navistar International Corporation in the sale of its Melrose Park, Illinois, facility to a developer who has an actionable plan to redevelop the parcel into a state-of-the-art industrial business park.
  • Bally's Corporation acquires Tropicana Evansville casino in series of transactions valued at $624 million in the aggregateJones Day advised Bally's Corporation in the $624 million acquisition of the Tropicana Evansville casino operations from Caesars Entertainment, Inc.
  • Navistar International acquires new property in San Antonio, Texas to house support functionsJones Day advised Navistar International Corporation in its acquisition of a new property in San Antonio, which includes existing buildings that will house support functions for its under-construction plant in the area.
  • Whitman/Peterson forms joint venture for acquisition and development of industrial park in Hialeah Gardens, FloridaJones Day advised Whitman/Peterson LLC in connection with the formation of a joint venture with Greystar Real Estate Partners, LLC and a local development partner for the acquisition of an approximately 25 acre site in Hialeah Gardens, Miami-Dade County, Florida, to be developed into a project containing four Class A industrial buildings and the financing by the joint venture of the acquisition.
  • Twin River Worldwide Holdings acquires three casinos from Eldorado and Caesars for $180 millionJones Day advised Twin River Worldwide Holdings, Inc. in the $155 million acquisition of Eldorado Shreveport Resort and Casino in Shreveport, Louisiana, and the MontBleu Resort Casino & Spa in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, from Eldorado Resorts, Inc., and Bally's Atlantic City Hotel & Casino in New Jersey from Caesars Entertainment Corporation and Vici Properties Inc. for $25 million.
  • Whitman/Peterson enters into programmatic joint venture to acquire, develop and operate economy extended stay hotelsJones Day advised Whitman/Peterson LLC in connection with a programmatic joint venture with Concord Hospitality to acquire, develop, and operate economy extended stay hotels/short term rentals.
  • Subsidiary of Navistar enters into 20 year lease for bus manufacturing facilityJones Day advised Navistar International Corporation in connection with a 20 year lease for IC Bus, a bus manufacturing facility at Tulsa International Airport.
  • Foundry Commercial Partners completes recapitalization of its GP investment platformJones Day represented Foundry Commercial Partners, LLC in the recapitalization of its GP investment platform.
  • OGE Energy acquires 146 MW combined cycle natural gas-fired power generation facilityJones Day advised Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of OGE Energy Corp., in the purchase of a 146 MW combined cycle natural gas-fired power generation facility from Oklahoma Cogeneration, LLC in Oklahoma City, and subsequently renamed it Frontier Power Plant.
  • Navistar acquires 51 acre property in Huntsville, Alabama for new engine plantJones Day is advising Navistar International Corporation in connection with the acquisition of an approximately 51 acre property in Huntsville, Alabama for its new engine plant.
  • OGE Energy acquires 360 MW coal-fired generation facilityJones Day advised Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of OGE Energy Corp., in the purchase of a 360 MW coal-fired generation facility and associated equipment from AES Shady Point, LLC, now known as River Valley Power Plant.
  • Henderson Park forms Henderson Park Real Estate Fund I ("HPREF I")Jones Day represented Henderson Park Capital Management in the formation of Henderson Park Real Estate Fund I ("HPREF I"), a $2.2 billion pan-European opportunistic and value added real estate investment fund, and in the Fund's related subscription-based credit facility.
  • USG acquired by Gebr. Knauf for $7 billionJones Day advised USG Corporation in the acquisition by Gebr. Knauf KG ("Knauf") of all of the outstanding shares of USG in a transaction valued at $7 billion.
  • Invenergy acquires multistate portfolio of renewable energy projectsJones Day represented Invenergy Wind Development LLC in its purchase of a multistate portfolio of development-stage wind and solar energy generation projects.
  • Adtalem Global Education sells DeVry UniversityJones Day advised Adtalem Global Education in the sale of DeVry University and its Keller Graduate School of Management to Cogswell Education, LLC, a company with significant experience in higher education.
  • NRG Energy sells ownership in NRG Yield and NRG's Renewables Platform to Global Infrastructure PartnersJones Day represented NRG Energy, Inc. in the sale of NRG’s ownership in NRG Yield and NRG’s Renewables Platform to Global Infrastructure Partners (GIP) for cash proceeds of $1.375 billion, subject to certain adjustments.
  • Nine Dragons Paper acquires Catalyst Paper Corporation for $175 millionJones Day advised Nine Dragons Paper in its $175 million acquisition of the Rumford, Maine and Biron, Wisconsin paper mills of Catalyst Paper Corporation.
  • Fortus Partners forms Detroit Renaissance Real Estate Fund, LPJones Day advised Fortus Renaissance GP, LLC in the fundraising for the real estate private equity fund, Detroit Renaissance Real Estate Fund, LP.