Charles R. Merrill
How Judge Merrill rules, drawn from 4 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
About Judge Merrill
Charles R. Merrill has served as a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Western District of Kentucky since December 2020. He became the court's chief bankruptcy judge on January 1, 2025. He has also served on the Sixth Circuit Bankruptcy Appellate Panel.
Judge Merrill's practices and standing orders
The court's website lists no individual practices or standing orders of Judge Merrill's own (checked October 10, 2026), so the court's local rules and general orders are the place to look (court page ↗).
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 10, 2026).
How Judge Merrill decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Detailed billing support can establish the reasonableness of postpetition mortgage fees when the debtor offers no contrary evidence.
“The Court finds those figures to be entirely reasonable, and Debtor has provided no evidence or argument to otherwise rebut the reasonableness of PennyMac’s fees.”
Procedural preferences
A creditor seeking to collect despite the codebtor stay must request relief by motion and prove the statutory ground for relief.
“the creditor still must request relief by motion as well as prove why the grounds for relief exist, which has not occurred in this case.”
Cautions
In an appellate panel majority he authored, Merrill treated dismissal for counsel’s missed pretrial deadline as requiring notice and consideration of suitable lesser sanctions.
“None of these lesser penalties appear to have been considered by the Bankruptcy Court”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“It is hereby ORDERED that PennyMac is entitled to $1,200 in fees and expenses based on the billable rate and total hours worked on postpetition legal services in this bankruptcy.”
“For all the foregoing reasons, this Court DENIES Debtors’ motion to disallow Claim No. 9.”
“REVERSED and REMANDED for further”
“Court OVERRULES Solar and Arla’s Objection, [D.E. 138].”
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Ezel grounds your drafting and research in this profile: what has persuaded Judge Merrill, and what has not, cited to the signed orders.
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