The chief judge of the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals, R. Guy Cole, Jr., has appointed U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Thomas Tucker, of the Eastern District of Michigan, as the new judge to proceed over the City of Detroit’s Chapter 9 bankruptcy.
Chief Judge Cole stated that he looked at factors of experience and case load for selecting Judge Steven Rhodes replacement overseeing the bankruptcy. In Judge Tucker, the court also has a judge who commits himself to fully researching and understanding each decision he is called on to make. Judge Tucker makes full note of his findings on the Court records so as to make an appeal to a higher court to overturn a bankruptcy decision difficult for an appellant.
Judge Tucker will hold hearings for the remaining bankruptcy attorneys working on the Detroit bankruptcy to resolve any outstanding issues.
Judge Tucker will retain his current caseload including Chapter 7, 11, and 13 bankruptcy filings.
Judge Tucker holds his Chapter 13 hearing docket on Thursdays, where holds calls for bankruptcy attorneys to bring unresolved issues between debtors, creditors, and/or the bankruptcy Trustee.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Thomas Tucker has been appointed to oversee the wind-down of Detroit’s bankruptcy case.
He replaces U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Steven Rhodes, who retired as of Wednesday after serving as a judge since 1985.
Tucker was appointed to complete Detroit’s case and to oversee the implementation of the city’s restructuring plan by R. Guy Cole, Jr., chief judge of the U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals.
“I make this designation having reviewed the levels of experience and the respective caseloads of the judges of the bankruptcy court, and the availability of Judge Tucker, and having received the input of the judges of the bankruptcy and district courts for the Eastern District of Michigan,” Cole wrote.
While Detroit officially emerged from Chapter 9 on Dec. 10 it’s not uncommon for numerous procedural issues to linger on in bankruptcy cases that require oversight.
The main issue that remains in Detroit’s bankruptcy case is a dispute between Wayne County and the city over the former police headquarters. The city pledged the former headquarters to Syncora as a part of its settlement with the bond insurer.
The county said claims the city’s decision to offer the historic police headquarters to Syncora was invalid.
Tucker set a hearing for March 4 to determine what remains to be done in the case.
Detroit Free Press: http://www.freep.com/story/money/business/2015/02/19/thomas-tucker-judge-appointed-rhodes-bankruptcy/23694141/
