In a move that shocked absolutely no one who’s been paying attention, a federal judge dismissed Thunder Sun Inc.’s bankruptcy case for the second time—this time explicitly calling it a bad-faith filing. Judge Brad Odell wasn’t impressed that Thunder Sun failed to fix the same problems that got their first bankruptcy tossed back in October, and he added a nice little bonus: a 180-day timeout before they’re allowed to try this stunt again.
Among the lingering issues? Ongoing utility failures at the mobile home park near the Lubbock airport and still-not-great proof of insurance for more than 40 properties. You know, the kind of boring administrative details landlords are usually expected to handle before collecting rent. Tenants, meanwhile, continue living with the thrilling uncertainty of whether water, sewage, or trash service will exist on any given day.
At the hearing, owner Austin Hughes confirmed that part of the park currently has no water while plumbers attempt to fix a sewage problem. He also acknowledged there’s no dumpster on site because the trash company wasn’t paid—though he assured everyone a new company is lined up, which is Lubbock landlord-speak for “please stop asking questions.” Legal Aid of Northwest Texas told the court that tenants have faced repeated utility shutoffs despite paying their bills, including active disconnection notices from Reliant Energy.
Judge Odell said out loud what everyone else has been thinking: tenants are stuck in a precarious situation because they don’t control the utilities they rely on to live like humans. Hughes testified that he “puts tenants first,” a statement that landed about as well as you’d expect with tenants who’ve already lost water, sewage, and trash service. One tenant, Ida Bosque, summed it up neatly by saying nothing she heard made her feel any better.
After the ruling, Hughes declined to comment—unless you count alleging “coordinated harassment and fraud” that will supposedly be exposed once his private investigator finishes… something. Meanwhile, with bankruptcy protection gone and foreclosures now possible, tenants are left wondering what happens next, while Lubbock once again demonstrates that the bar for property management is apparently somewhere below ground level.
If your defense strategy now involves a private investigator and vibes, maybe—just maybe—the problem isn’t the paperwork.
https://www.kcbd.com/2025/12/16/thunder-suns-bankruptcy-case-dismissed-second-time/