Jeffrey R. Hughes
How Judge Hughes rules, drawn from 30 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
Judge Hughes no longer hears cases. This profile is preserved as a historical record of how they ruled.
How Judge Hughes decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
A creditor’s unexplained post-confirmation payment defaults supplied cause to lift the stay when the Code did not permit another compelled cure.
“equities must always yield to whatever limitations the Code itself imposes”
A debtor’s tax-refund estimate need not be exact, but the schedules should reflect an honest effort based on information reasonably available.
“The integrity of the bankruptcy process rests upon a debtor’s full and honest disclosure of all required information.”
Procedural preferences
A trustee seeking approval of a settlement should disclose enough comparative information for creditors to test the business judgment asserted.
“a trustee must still include within his Rule 9019(a) motion some idea as to what the estate might expect to recover if the settlement were not accepted”
Summary judgment is inappropriate when a material factual dispute remains about the operative recording date.
“a material question of fact remains as to the exact date of that event”
Cautions
A default does not permit relief that the governing law does not authorize.
“The plaintiff must still establish through its complaint and, when required, through the offer of other proofs the factual elements necessary to establish its claim.”
Failure to object timely can leave property outside the estate even when a later settlement would have benefited creditors.
“the settlement proposed was purporting to be something that it was not”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
The bankruptcy judge treated the fraudulent-transfer ruling as a recommendation for district-court review rather than a final judgment. Grounding: “the determinations set forth in this opinion will be incorporated into a report and recommendation.”
No bankruptcy-court default judgment entered; the judge instead prepared a recommendation for the district court. Grounding: “no default judgment will enter. Rather, this court will prepare a report and recommendation.”
“The motion is granted.”
“The court denies both motions.”
“an order granting Huntington’s motion will enter concurrently with this opinion.”
The opinion supplied trial findings and law of the case but entered no order. Grounding: “No order will enter as a consequence of this opinion because there remain a few unresolved matters.”
“The State’s objection is overruled.”
“Both motions are denied.”
“Both motions are denied.”
“Trustee’s objection has been rendered moot”
The opinion rejected one technical ground but left the trustee free to continue on bad-faith and concealment theories. Grounding: “Trustee may, if he chooses, continue with his pending objections on these alternative theories.”
A historical record
Judge Hughes no longer hears cases. This profile stays available as a record of how they ruled. If you're preparing for a matter, start from the court's current bench.