Michael M. Parker

How Judge Parker rules, drawn from 17 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

Court
U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Texas
Position
bankruptcy
Appointed by
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
Commissioned
2021-11-02
Education
University of Colorado Boulder, B.S. in civil engineering, 1986; University of Texas at Austin, M.S. in civil engineering, 1987; University of Texas at Austin, J.D. and M.B.A., 1993
Signed orders read
17

How Judge Parker decides

Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.

What persuades

A secured creditor may establish embezzlement-based nondischargeability when state law gives it a property interest sufficient to support conversion and the debtor had no ownership interest in the appropriated property.

“The Court agrees with the majority courts’ analysis but will refine and refocus the rule: a creditor must have sufficient property interest in the allegedly embezzled property such that the creditor could bring a conversion claim.”

Procedural preferences

In the reviewed plan-confirmation dispute, silence by an impaired class did not count as acceptance of the plan.

“Impaired classes whose creditors fail to cast a vote do not ‘accept’ a plan”

Lien-avoidance requests must identify the exempt property affected rather than seek blanket relief against an asserted lien.

“Debtor must identify the exempt property on which it seeks lien avoidance. Section 522(f) operates to avoid liens placed on identified exempt property, not to avoid blanket liens in and of themselves.”

Cautions

Reconsideration is treated as extraordinary relief and is granted sparingly.

“they ‘call[] into question the correctness of a judgment’ and are thus extraordinary, only to be granted sparingly, and disfavored.”

Signed rulings

A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.

Kapitus Servicing, Inc. v. Monreal
24-50063; 24-05013 · 2026-06-18
Claim to except debt from discharge 523 a 2 a (Kapitus Servicing, Inc.) Granted

“The Court grants Kapitus’s § 523(a)(2)(A) and Virginia-law conversion claims, as well as Kapitus’s § 523(a)(4) claim only with respect to the debt due under the conversion claim, and denies all other relief.”

Claim to except debt from discharge 523 a 4 (Kapitus Servicing, Inc.) Granted in part

“The Court grants Kapitus’s claims under § 523(a)(4) with respect to the conversion debt and denies Kapitus’s claim under § 523(a)(4) with respect to any debts other than those arising under Kapitus’s conversion claim.”

Claim to except debt from discharge 523 a 6 (Kapitus Servicing, Inc.) Denied

“Because Kapitus failed to provide sufficient evidence that Monreal intended to injure Kapitus, the Court denies Kapitus’s claims under § 523(a)(6).”

In re Wishert
25-52076-MMP · 2025-12-30
Trustee objection to exemption (chapter 7 trustee) Granted

“ORDERED that the Trustee’s Objection to Exemption (ECF No. 20) is SUSTAINED.”

In re Hennig
25-60608-MMP · 2025-11-03
Motion to convert to subchapter v (Garrett Clayton Hennig and Crystal Marie Hennig) Granted in part

“ORDERED that the Debtors’ Motion to Convert (ECF No. 32) is GRANTED IN PART.”

In re Kenneth Wayne Gawlik and In re George Raymond Gawlik Jr.
24-51366-MMP; 24-51369-MMP · 2025-10-17
Motion to convert chapter 12 to chapter 11 (Kenneth Wayne Gawlik) Granted

“the Court has previously granted each Debtor’s Motion to Convert.”

Motion to convert chapter 12 to chapter 11 (George Raymond Gawlik Jr.) Granted
Otisco RDX, LLC v. RIC (Lavernia) LLC
24-51195-MMP; 25-05040-MMP · 2025-10-15
Motion to reconsider (Otisco RDX, LLC) Granted in part

“The Court therefore sustains Defendants’ original Objection and denies Plaintiff’s Motion to Reconsider—except to the extent Plaintiff’s Motion seeks that the Court issue grounds for its alternative grant of summary judgment.”

Amended motion to reconsider and for leave to amend (Otisco RDX, LLC) Denied

“DENIES Plaintiff’s Amended Motion to Reconsider Order Granting Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss or, in the alternative, Motion for Summary Judgment and Plaintiff’s Request for Leave to Amend (ECF No. 44);”

Motion for leave to file response and new evidence (Otisco RDX, LLC) Moot / procedural

“DENIES as moot Plaintiff’s Motion for Leave to Allow Plaintiff’s Response to Defendants’ Objection to Plaintiff’s Amended Motion to Reconsider Order Granting Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss or, in the alternative, Motion for Summary Judgment and to Allow for New Evidence (ECF No. 73);”

Second motion for leave to file response and new evidence (Otisco RDX, LLC) Moot / procedural

“DENIES as moot Plaintiff’s Second Motion for Leave to Allow for a Further Response to Defendants’ Objection to Plaintiff’s Amended Motion to Reconsider Order Granting Defendants’ Motion to Dismiss or, in the alternative, Motion for Summary Judgment and Allow for New Evidence in Support of its Motion to Reconsider (ECF No. 73).”

RIC (Lavernia) LLC v. Milestone Capital CRE 1, LLC
24-51195-MMP; 24-05043-MMP · 2025-10-09
Motion for discovery sanctions (RIC (Lavernia) LLC) Granted in part

“For all these reasons, the Court will GRANT in part the Debtor’s Motion for Sanctions.”

In re Walker
25-60234-MMP · 2025-09-05
Trustee objection to chapter 13 confirmation (chapter 13 trustee) Denied

“ORDERED that the Trustee’s Objection to Confirmation of Debtor’s Proposed Chapter 13 Plan (ECF No. 11) is OVERRULED.”

Garcia v. United States Department of Education
24-51486-MMP; 24-05067-MMP · 2025-05-16
Joint motion for entry of consent judgment (Belinda Ana Garcia and the United States Department of Education) Denied

“ORDERED that the parties’ Joint Motion for Entry of Consent Judgment (ECF No. 21) is DENIED.”

Escalante-Sostre v. Lopez-Gutierrez
22-51025-MMP; 22-05101-MMP · 2025-05-09
Defamation claim (Xiomara Escalante-Sostre and Alejandro Sostre-Odio) Granted

“that such defamation was defamation per se.”

Request for exemplary damages (Xiomara Escalante-Sostre and Alejandro Sostre-Odio) Denied

“The Court denies Plaintiffs’ requests for exemplary damages, the claim of business disparagement, and the claim of civil conspiracy.”

Business disparagement claim (Xiomara Escalante-Sostre and Alejandro Sostre-Odio) Denied
Civil conspiracy claim (Xiomara Escalante-Sostre and Alejandro Sostre-Odio) Denied
Request for permanent injunction (Xiomara Escalante-Sostre and Alejandro Sostre-Odio) Granted in part

“Finally, in its Judgment pursuant to this Opinion, the Court will issue an injunction requiring the removal from all platforms of all statements deemed defamatory but will not enjoin future speech.”

In re Sushi Zushi of Texas, LLC
24-51147-MMP · 2025-03-28
Chapter 11 plan confirmation (Sushi Zushi of Texas, LLC) Granted

“the SZ Plan can be confirmed only as a non-consensual plan under § 1191(b).”

In re Gutierrez
25-50011-MMP · 2025-01-24

The court dismissed the case with prejudice until outstanding fees were paid because the debtor had paid no filing fees and had not filed a plan or schedules. The order is retained as context and excluded from motion counts.

In re Hilltop SPV, LLC
24-60308-MMP · 2025-01-06
Motion to reject executory contract (Hilltop SPV, LLC) Granted

“ORDERED that the Debtor’s Motion to Reject Gas Gathering Agreement (ECF No. 84) is GRANTED.”

Caseload & timing

From public federal docket records for this judge.

Four sampled matters were terminated and one remained pending. One individual case supplied an express order extending the automatic stay.

Draft for Judge Parker with the record in hand

Ezel grounds your drafting and research in this profile: what has persuaded Judge Parker, and what has not, cited to the signed orders.

Opens in Ezel Pro.

  • Grounded in Judge Parker's own signed orders
  • Cites every source it relies on, so you can verify it
  • Chat, drafting and research in one workspace