Actor Patrick Dempsey said it appears his bid to buy a small coffee chain has prevailed in a bankruptcy auction that included Starbucks Corp.

On Jan. 3, Dempsey announced that his company, Global Baristas LLC, made the winning bid for Tully’s Coffee. He told KOMO-TV that a bankruptcy judge will have the final say Jan. 11.

Dempsey’s company will pay $9.15 million for Tully’s and complete the purchase later this month after the court hearing, he said in a statement.

Tully’s Coffee has 47 company-owned locations in Washington and California. The company, with more than 500 employees, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in October. Tully’s has four locations in Idaho, including three Treasure Valley locations in grocery stores. Former Tully’s locations in and around Boise rebranded in April 2012.

Dempsey, who gained the nickname “McDreamy” on the TV show “Grey’s Anatomy” set in a fictional Seattle hospital, has said he wants to rescue the chain.

After the Jan. 3 auction, Starbucks spokesman Zack Hutson confirmed his company participated and “is currently in a backup position” for some of Tully’s assets. The final certification of the winning bid won’t occur until the Jan. 11 bankruptcy court hearing, Hutson said.

Hutson said his company made an offer for 13 of Tully’s company-owned stores in the Puget Sound region plus 12 outlets at Boeing Co. sites. Hutson said another bidder made an offer for all other assets – and is in a backup position for those.

Also in the running was Baristas Coffee, which operates a chain of drive-thru espresso stands featuring female employees in skimpy outfits.

Starbucks and Tully’s are based in Seattle.

The auction was not public.