In which district was the bankruptcy case filed by Willy Mathew and Caren N. Musembi concerning Bambu?
Bambu Franchise · 2025 FDDAnswer from 2025 FDD Document
Our Director of Franchise Services, Willy Mathew, filed a bankruptcy petition jointly with his wife under the reorganization provisions of Chapter 13 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code on January 30, 2015. In re Wily M. Mathew and Caren N. Musembi, No. 15-03080 (Northern District of Illinois). On June 7, 2019, the debtors were dismissed from the case for failure to make plan payments and the bankruptcy case was dismissed on August 8, 2019. Mr. Mathew's current business address is the same as ours.
Other than this action, no bankruptcy information is required to be disclosed in this Item.
Source: Item 4 — Bankruptcy (FDD page 13)
What This Means (2025 FDD)
According to Bambu's 2025 Franchise Disclosure Document, the bankruptcy petition filed jointly by Willy Mathew, Bambu's Director of Franchise Services, and his wife, Caren N. Musembi, was filed under Chapter 13 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code on January 30, 2015. The case was filed in the Northern District of Illinois and was listed as In re Wily M. Mathew and Caren N. Musembi, No. 15-03080.
The document further indicates that the debtors were dismissed from the case on June 7, 2019, due to failure to make plan payments. Consequently, the bankruptcy case was officially dismissed on August 8, 2019. The FDD notes that Mr. Mathew's current business address is the same as Bambu's.
The FDD explicitly states that, apart from this particular action, no other bankruptcy information is required to be disclosed in Item 4. This suggests that prospective franchisees should be aware of this past bankruptcy filing involving a key member of the Bambu franchise services team, but also that no other relevant bankruptcy events involving the company or its principals need to be disclosed.