Sportswear Makers Chorus Line Files for Bankruptcy Protection

Chorus Line Corp., which owns well-known sportswear makers Chorus Line and Carole Little, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.

The Vernon-based company closed abruptly last month after creditors took legal action to push the troubled firm to reorganize or liquidate. The shutdown has thrown 300 employees out of work and sent suppliers and lenders scrambling to grab what’s left of a company flattened by an estimated $70 million to $80 million in debt.

Petitions were filed Thursday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Los Angeles on behalf of Chorus Line and California Fashion Industries Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary. Mark Brutzkus, an attorney representing three of Chorus Line’s creditors, said company management has informed him that they are attempting to secure financing to resurrect the closed firm. If that proves fruitless, Brutzkus said the company will likely arrange for an orderly liquidation of the assets, the most valuable being the company’s Carole Little trademarks.