First Brands Eliminates Jobs
Key Highlights
- First Brands filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on September 28, 2025, due to ongoing financial difficulties.
- The company announced the closure of four Ohio locations, impacting over 1,200 employees through layoffs and closures.
- Legal action has been initiated against former CEO Patrick James and his brother, Edward James, for alleged multi-billion dollar fraud schemes.
After several rounds of trying to find funders - after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on September 28, 2025 - First Brands Group has been forced to close several locations. This has unfortunately resulted in several hundred individuals being laid off.
On February 27, 2026, the company filed several WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) notices in Ohio, informing of at least four location closures and elimination of more than 1,200 jobs.
“As you may be aware, the Company is currently experiencing a period of financial distress and is in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy process,” First Brands said in the WARN notice.
Ohio locations closure and layoffs:
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Cleveland Cuyahoga job cuts: 146 layoffs
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Cleveland Cuyahoga closure: 110 more layoffs
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Tiffin closure: 407 layoffs
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Bowling Green closure: 302 layoffs
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Greenville closure: 302 layoffs
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Total: 1,267 employees impacted across Ohio
In addition to the closures, First Brands is also facing legal action from the U.S. Attorney's office in connection with an alleged multi-billion dollar fraud scheme from the company's executives.
Both Patrick James, the founder and former CEO of First Brands Group, and his brother, Edward James, a former senior executive, were indicted for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, and for money laundering.