J. Barrett Marum
How Judge Marum rules, drawn from 7 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
About Judge Marum
J. Barrett Marum began a fourteen-year term as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Southern District of California in August 2024. Before joining the bench, he practiced bankruptcy and commercial litigation and clerked for District Judge Thomas J. Whelan. He earned degrees from the University of California, Berkeley and UCLA School of Law.
Judge Marum's practices and standing orders
Rules for cases before Judge Marum, as published on the court's website (checked October 11, 2026). Judges revise these often, so confirm the current version on the court's site before you file.
Key rules
Filing
Do not send courtesy copies unless the court specifically requests them, subject to the cash collateral procedure.
“courtesy copies should not be sent to the Court unless specifically requested.”
Motions
For a Chapter 11 first day or emergency motion, contact chambers or the courtroom deputy before filing or uploading the request.
“should directly contact the Court’s chambers at (619) 557-5848 and/or the Court’s Courtroom Deputy at (619) 557-5157, prior to filing or uploading documents requesting such relief.”
Motions
Absent a lender stipulation, support a cash collateral motion with a 13-week cash budget and email the native Excel file within 24 hours of filing.
“Absent a stipulation with the impacted lender(s), the Court expects cash collateral motions to be supported by a 13-week cash collateral budget. Appendix D2 to the Local Rules includes a sample cash collateral budget, which the Court encourages parties to use. Within twenty-four (24) hours of filing the initial or any revised cash collateral budget, the moving party must email ([email protected]) the proposed cash collateral budget to chambers in native Excel format.”
Conferences
Request a hearing date from the courtroom deputy, then file the pleadings within three days of the request.
“Any party that requests a hearing date must file the pleadings within three (3) days from the request being made.”
Conferences
Review tentative rulings before the hearing and appear unless the tentative expressly waives appearance or another waiver is obtained.
“Unless the tentative expressly waives appearance at the hearing (or a party obtains a hearing waiver) parties must attend the hearing”
Conferences
For Zoom attendance, contact the courtroom deputy by 10:00 a.m. two business days before the hearing unless an order or tentative ruling directs otherwise.
“ruling otherwise directs, par es who wish to a end a hearing by Zoom must contact Courtroom Deputy, Russell Paluso, at (619) 557-5157 no later than 10:00 a.m. two business days before the hearing.”
Trial
The court normally takes direct trial testimony by declaration.
“The Court will normally conduct its trials with direct testimony by declaration.”
Standing orders for every case in this court
Orders the court applies to all of its cases, whichever judge has them, as published on the court's website (checked October 11, 2026).
How Judge Marum decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
A co-owned-property sale required a concrete benefit to unsecured creditors, not merely payment of administrative expenses.
“Should the Plaintiff obtain an offer that will generate a twenty-five percent distribution to unsecured creditors, the Court will approve the sale.”
Uncontroverted evidence that market testing was impracticable supported insider postpetition financing after governance safeguards addressed the initial control concerns.
“Debtor’s evidence on market futility was uncontroverted, as was its position that no alternative”
Procedural preferences
Counsel using generative tools remains responsible for checking every citation before filing.
“the attorney must verify that the AI-generated legal citations in any court-filed documents are true and correct.”
Cautions
In In re IMH Dallas Arioso, LLC, Marum granted the secured lender’s stay-relief motion because the debtor’s proposed plan required wholesale changes and lacked a reasonable prospect of timely confirmation.
“When a plan requires wholesale material changes, though, as would be required in this case pursuant to the analysis under Section 362(d)(2) above, the debtor has not submitted a plan of reorganization that has a reasonable possibility of being confirmed within a reasonable time.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“the Court confirmed the Debtors’ Subchapter V plan on a consensual basis pursuant to 11 U.S.C. § 1191(a).”
“The Court thus conditionally authorizes the sale of the Property subject to the Trustee’s obtaining a further order of the Court explicitly authorizing the sale”
“turnover of the Property under Section 542(a) is appropriate subject to the same conditions for the sale of the Property”
“the injunction would not serve the public interest, the Court will not grant this request.”
“the Court hereby enjoins the Defendant and the Debtor from disrupting or interfering with the Plaintiff’s efforts to prepare, market, and obtain offers for the Property.”
“Accordingly, the Court GRANTS the Motion.”
“The Court DISMISSES the Chapter 11 case;”
“Live Oak’s alternative request for relief, with respect to authorizing excuse of the Receiver’s turnover of estate property under 11 U.S.C. § 543(d)(1), is DENIED AS MOOT.”
“the Court declines to impose civil contempt sanctions on Education pursuant to 11 U.S.C. §§ 105(a) and 524(a)(2).”
“Based on the foregoing, the Court imposes sanctions on Counsel pursuant to Rule 9011 and its inherent powers authority.”
“thus granted the Debtor’s request to authorize the revised”
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Ezel grounds your drafting and research in this profile: what has persuaded Judge Marum, and what has not, cited to the signed orders.
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