Uncle Nearest in bankruptcy? What the judge ruled in Tennessee
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Judge dismissed bankruptcy petitions filed Tuesday by founder Fawn Weaver.
- Court granted motions by receiver Phillip H. Young and lender Farm Credit to dismiss.
- Decision announced from the bench; the bankruptcy case was dismissed.
A federal judge in Tennessee has dismissed the bankruptcy petitions filed Tuesday by Uncle Nearest founder Fawn Weaver.
U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Suzanne H. Bauknight held an expedited hearing Thursday on motions by receiver Phillip H. Young and Kentucky lender Farm Credit to dismiss.
According to the court docket, the motions were granted, and the case was dismissed.
The decision was delivered from the bench.
On March 20, Weaver filed notice that she intends to appeal the dismissal.
The troubled whiskey brand has been in receivership amid claims of significant debt. Kentucky lender Farm Credit Mid-America, headquartered in Louisville, sued Uncle Nearest, Nearest Green Distillery, Fawn Weaver and her husband, Keith, in July 2025 alleging they defaulted on more than $100 million in loans.
The receiver and Farm Credit allege that Uncle Nearest now owes about $200 million and is insolvent.
Fawn Weaver, did not immediately post any reaction online to the dismissals. In a video posted March 17, she had declared the receivership for the whiskey and bourbon brand “done” but that is not the case.
What’s next in Uncle Nearest legal drama
Fawn Weaver has been attempting to regain control and end the receivership; U.S. District Judge Charles E. Atchley Jr. has been expected to rule soon on that request and on the receiver’s request to expand the receivership to include at least seven Weaver-controlled businesses, including one involved in a disputed $20 million loan from media mogul Jay-Z.
But on Tuesday, Weaver announced in a news release and videos on social media that Uncle Nearest had filed for bankruptcy and that she has sued Farm Credit in New York for defamation.
The Weavers also recently filed a defamation lawsuit in New York against Farm Credit, seeking damages for lost business opportunities due to Farm Credit’s assertions in court. Farm Credit has not filed a response yet; the bank has declined to comment.
Receiver Young had filed a motion for sanctions against Weaver and/or her attorney for filing the bankruptcy petitions. He urged Atchley to impost $75,000 in fines, payable to Uncle Nearest. There has been no ruling on that motion yet.
Late Thursday, Weaver’s attorney filed an objection to the sanctions saying, in part, that she had relied upon the advice of attorneys who advised that she was not prohibited from filing for bankruptcy without consultation with the receiver. Weaver also said in her sworn declaration that she has enrolled in a “Master of Laws program at Vanderbilt University.”
Meanwhile, the attorney who filed the bankruptcy petitions for Weaver, Kelli D. Homes, filed a Suggestion of Bankruptcy notice in the Farm Credit receivership, which ordinarily would halt legal action, but that is expected to be thrown out now along with the bankruptcies.
What Farm Credit said in court
Farm Credit had filed a motion in the bankruptcy cases overnight Thursday calling for the dismissal or for Young to be appointed Chapter 11 trustee in the bankruptcy.
The bank echoed the receiver’s assertion that Weaver did not have the legal authority to file bankruptcy for Uncle Nearest, Nearest Green Distillery or Uncle Nearest Real Estate Holdings.
And the bank said if bankruptcy was allowed, the receiver should be appointed trustee, pointing out that, among other things, under Weaver’s management, Uncle Nearest failed to file tax returns for at least five years.
The bank also pointed to the disputed $20 million loan from Jay-Z’s MarcyPen venture capital fund as an example of Weaver’s “admitted fraudulent conduct.”
This story was originally published March 19, 2026 at 1:05 PM.
