Vendor Lawsuits Piled Up at Saks Global Ahead of Bankruptcy Reports

Over the past two years, a growing number of companies have taken Saks Global and related entities to state court, alleging nonpayment for apparel, accessories, and jewelry that had been sold and delivered. Filed throughout 2024, 2025, and into 2026, the lawsuits against Saks advance a similar narrative, with vendors claiming that the goods were supplied pursuant to purchase orders, supply agreements, or consignment arrangements. In some cases, plaintiffs allege that they followed up repeatedly and negotiated payment extensions before ultimately resorting to litigation.

Among the cases filed in 2025 are those filed by Jovani Fashion Ltd. and Catherine Regehr, Inc., both of which allege that Saks Global and related entities failed to pay more than $400,000 combined for women’s apparel sold and delivered between late 2024 and 2025. Other suits target Saks Off 5th, including actions by International Trimmings & Labels Inc., which seeks $40,690 for goods sold pursuant to a 2023 invoice, and Criteo Corp., which alleges $251,953 in unpaid fees under digital advertising placement agreements.

Additional complaints span winter accessories, garments, and jewelry, with claimed damages ranging from tens of thousands of dollars to more than half a million dollars.

The newest lawsuits on the docket show that Saks’ vendor-payment problems are continuing into 2026. In early January, designer Gabriella Rossetti, for example, sued over alleged failures to remit customer proceeds and return merchandise under a drop-ship consignment arrangement, while also naming CEO Marc Metrick individually in connection with efforts to resolve ongoing non-payment issues. Days later, Gevril Group accuses Saks Off 5th of failing to pay more than $275,000 for women’s apparel sold and delivered in 2025, and Italian hat maker Mr Hatter alleges that Saks entities paid only a fraction of roughly $325,000 in shipments, leaving nearly $248,000 outstanding.

A Complicated Backdrop for Saks

Many of those cases are now unfolding against a complicated backdrop. Saks Global is reportedly considering a Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing after missing a $100 million interest payment on its debt, other reporting suggests that the company may be seeking a $1 billion loan to continue operating. A spokesperson for Saks Global said in December 2025 that the company is “exploring all potential paths to secure a strong and stable future.”

The company is also in the midst of a major leadership change, with chief executive officer Marc Metrick, a three-decade veteran of Saks Fifth Avenue, stepping down from his role and co-owner and executive chairman Richard Baker assuming the CEO position.

For vendors already suing over unpaid invoices, that assurance appears to be increasingly tenuous. If Saks Global does, in fact, file for Chapter 11 protection, the pending breach-of-contract actions would likely be automatically stayed, halting the litigation and forcing plaintiffs to pursue their claims through the bankruptcy process, typically as unsecured creditors rather than through the courts.

That shift has meaningful consequences for vendors’ chances of getting paid. In a Chapter 11 scenario, unpaid, pre-bankruptcy invoices are typically treated as general unsecured claims, placing vendors behind secured lenders and other priority creditors in the payment waterfall. As a result, recoveries are often delayed and discounted, with unsecured creditors often receiving only a fraction of what they are owed, if anything at all, after a restructuring plan is approved. 

In that context, the lawsuits offer an early signal of the pressure facing the business. For vendors that have already delivered goods, the prospect of a Chapter 11 filing shifts the dispute from a question of when payment will arrive to whether it will arrive at all, with claims likely funneled into a bankruptcy process that can leave unsecured creditors waiting months or longer and may result in discounted recoveries.