Keith L. Phillips
How Judge Phillips rules, drawn from 20 signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
About Judge Phillips
Keith L. Phillips is a United States Bankruptcy Judge for the Eastern District of Virginia. He hears matters in the Richmond Division.
Judge Phillips's practices and standing orders
Rules for cases before Judge Phillips, as published on the court's website (checked October 10, 2026). Judges revise these often, so confirm the current version on the court's site before you file.
Key rules
Contacting chambers
For a Chapter 13 confirmation hearing beyond the listed dates, contact a courtroom deputy.
“If you need to schedule a confirmation hearing date beyond the date(s) listed, please contact a Courtroom Deputy.”
Conferences
Contact the courtroom deputy to set a contested matter for hearing.
“For Contested Matters Please Contact Courtroom Deputy”
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 Phillips decides
Patterns drawn from this judge's own signed orders. Every observation links to the order it came from.
What persuades
Detailed evidence that the proposed assignee could perform the lease and preserve the shopping center supported assumption and assignment over the landlord’s objection.
“The Debtors have met their burden under § 365(b)(1) and (3) of providing adequate assurance of future performance.”
Cautions
Dismissal and immediate refiling solely to stop foreclosure falls within the conduct addressed by the 180-day refiling bar.
“Rather, barring a subsequent filing accomplishes exactly what the drafters intended when they enacted § 109(g)(2), which was to prevent a debtor from refiling for the sole purpose of thwarting a creditor that seeks to exercise its rights to collateral.”
Signed rulings
A grounded sample of orders signed by this judge, with the verbatim dispositive language.
“IT IS ORDERED that the motion to waive the requirements of § 109(g)(2) is DENIED”
“ORDERED that the case is DISMISSED and it is further”
On a limited remand, the court determined that the United States could not invoke sovereign immunity; the opinion did not adjudicate a pending party motion.
“For the foregoing reasons, Brea I's objections to the proposed assumption and assignment of the Lease are overruled.”
“IT IS ORDERED that the trustee’s objection to exemption is OVERRULED.”
“the Debtor is entitled to claim the exemption and the Objection will be overruled.”
“the Objection will be overruled and the assumption and assignment of the Toys Lease to Aldi will be approved.”
“the Court will grant the Defendants' Motion to dismiss Counts II, III(a), and IV of the Complaint pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.”
“IT IS ORDERED that the objection of Debtors Robert M. Lewis, Jr. and Linda S. Lewis to the claims of American Express Centurion Bank is SUSTAINED and the claim is DISALLOWED.”
“For these reasons, the Motion has been denied and a separate order has been issued.”
“the Reorganized Debtors’ Motion to Dismiss will be granted.”
After trial, the court found the debtor's fiduciary defalcation made the creditor's judgments and related fees nondischargeable. No motion disposition is classified from this trial judgment.
“The United States’ motion for summary judgment will be granted as to Count I and denied as to Count II of the amended complaint.”
“The Debtors’ cross-motion for summary judgment will be granted as to Count II of the amended complaint.”
Caseload & timing
From public federal docket records for this judge.
Fourteen sampled matters were recorded as terminated and two remained pending in the index. Only the Brown stream supplied express outcomes.
Draft for Judge Phillips with the record in hand
Ezel grounds your drafting and research in this profile: what has persuaded Judge Phillips, and what has not, cited to the signed orders.
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