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In re Thomas - Chapter 11 Trustee Appointment Standards Under 11 U.S.C. § 1104

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Tennessee issued an opinion addressing whether 'cause' exists under 11 U.S.C. § 1104(a)(1) for appointment of a Chapter 11 trustee in Case No. 16-27850-K, and whether such appointment is in the interests of creditors under § 1104(a)(2). Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc., Tennison Brothers, Inc., and the Tennessee Department of Transportation each joined a renewed motion for appointment of a Chapter 11 trustee with 'limited powers,' opposed by Mrs. Lynn Schadt Thomas and the debtor William H. Thomas, Jr. The court, presided by Chief Bankruptcy Judge David S. Kennedy, analyzed the standards for trustee appointment in Chapter 11 cases where the debtor serves as debtor in possession.

William H. Thomas Jr. Chapter 11 Stay Motion Denied

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Tennessee denied debtor William H. Thomas Jr.'s emergency motion to stay the court's January 18, 2019 order appointing a Chapter 11 trustee pending appeal. The United States Trustee for Region 8 and creditors including Clear Channel Outdoor, Inc. and the Tennessee Department of Transportation filed objections to the motion, and oral arguments were held on February 27, 2019. The court ruled that the motion did not meet the requirements for a stay under Federal Rule of Bankruptcy Procedure 8007(a)(1).

In re Theodore E. Harris Jr. and Jo Carol Harris — Default Judgment Denying Discharge

The United States Bankruptcy Court for the Western District of Tennessee entered default judgment on November 4, 2025, denying the general discharge of debtors Theodore E. Harris Jr. and Jo Carol Harris under Count IV of the complaint filed by SCGV Dexter Ridge, LLC. The court found that the defendants repeatedly failed to disclose material information in three Chapter 13 bankruptcy petitions filed between 2019 and 2022, including their ownership interests in Teddy's Inc. and Cordova Catfish Place & More, LLC, and their obligations under the commercial lease with SCGV, while simultaneously engaging in transactions with the plaintiff without disclosing the pending bankruptcy. The court exercises core jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. §§ 1334(b) and 157(b)(2)(I) and (J) and venue is proper in the Western District of Tennessee.