| 1 | Six months after acquiring Simmons, THL set in motion plans to take the company public. | |
| 2 | Every step along the way, the buyers put Simmons deeper into debt. | |
| 3 | It also paid itself millions more in fees, first for buying the company, then for helping run it. | |
| 4 | THL shelved its plans to take Simmons public, and the company shook up its sales division. | |
| 5 | THL collected hundreds of millions of dollars from the company in the form of special dividends. |