Armadillo Enterprises, father or mother firm of Dean Guitars, has filed for Chapter 11 chapter, following a turbulent few years for the corporate.

Court docket filings made yesterday (9 June 2026) reveal that each Armadillo and its funding accomplice Concordia have filed collectively. Armadillo has estimated its property to be between $1 million and $10 million, nonetheless its liabilities vary as much as $50 million. The chapter petition signifies that Valley Nationwide Financial institution – which had beforehand threatened Armadillo with foreclosures over thousands and thousands in unpaid debt – now holds an unsecured declare of round $3.3 million – the biggest declare held by a creditor.

The filings come after a number of years of authorized hassle for Dean and Armadillo, most notably a high-profile and prolonged trademark lawsuit introduced by Gibson relating to a number of guitar shapes. Armadillo was discovered to have bought infringing guitar designs, and was ordered to cease advertising and marketing and promoting its V and Z devices. After a prolonged enchantment, the same verdict was discovered.

Given the scope of the gulf between Armadillo’s property and liabilities, the way forward for Dean Guitars once more is unclear. It has already been hit with a string of losses and inner challenges. Following the authorized loss to Gibson, the jury discovered that Dean should pay Gibson simply $1 in damages – but in addition round $170,000 in authorized charges. On high of this, the ruling additionally said that “all prices of court docket spent or incurred on this trigger are adjudged towards Armadillo” – it’s unclear simply how a lot this second determine might be, or what the complete impact of yesterday’s chapter submitting could also be on the ultimate levels of this case.

In an announcement launched in the present day, Armadillo CEO Pamela Keris-Rubinson stays optimistic, saying: “It is a proactive step to strengthen our monetary basis and place these iconic manufacturers for long-term success. Resolving the monetary pressures of latest years permits us to focus absolutely on rising what we’ve constructed. We stay absolutely dedicated to our prospects, our vendor community, and our staff. Dean, Luna, and ddrum are sturdy manufacturers, and this course of will enable us to emerge as a extra resilient organisation.”

The assertion additionally notes that “Armadillo needs to guarantee each its retail and client companions that every one present orders, vendor relationships, and buyer commitments will proceed to be honored with out interruption.”

In different information,  Dean was awarded a victory in a trademark submitting from the property of late Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell, referring to the alleged illegal use of guitar designs Darrell made in collaboration with Dean. Darrell’s property introduced its intention to enchantment the ruling simply this week.

Cillian is Guitar.com’s Senior Employees Author, and has written information, options and evaluations for Guitar.com since 2019. When not writing about guitars, Cillian spends their time constructing and modding pedals, rearranging their pedalboard and extolling the virtues of the ProCo RAT.