The court-appointed receiver overseeing the Uncle Nearest, Inc. receivership asked a federal judge Monday to prohibit founder Fawn Weaver from making any public statements about the case, citing what he called widespread damage caused by her unauthorized bankruptcy filings and the social media campaign that followed.
Receiver Phillip G. Young, Jr. filed the request in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee, arguing that monetary sanctions alone are insufficient to stop Weaver from interfering with the receivership process. He is asking Judge Atchley to enjoin Weaver, her husband Keith Weaver, and their related entity Grant Sidney from discussing the case publicly, on social media, or with any employees, vendors, distributors, creditors, investors, or shareholders connected to the company.
The request comes after Weaver filed three bankruptcy petitions on behalf of Uncle Nearest and its affiliated entities — filings the U.S. Bankruptcy Court dismissed as unauthorized. The Bankruptcy Court found “no doubt” that Young alone held the authority to file bankruptcy on behalf of the receivership entities, and that a “plain reading” of the district court’s original receivership order made that clear.
Rather than stand down after the dismissal, Young says Weaver went public. She released a press release through a related entity declaring the receivership over, posted a six-minute video claiming she had resumed control of the companies, and sent multiple text messages to all Uncle Nearest employees — including one announcing her appeal of the Bankruptcy Court’s ruling.
The fallout, according to Young, has been significant. Dozens of employees, vendors, creditors, distributors, and potential buyers contacted the receiver seeking clarification. At least one prospective asset purchaser put their work on the transaction on hold. At least one senior employee resigned, citing the confusion as the primary reason for leaving. Distributor payments have been delayed, and Young says the ongoing uncertainty has cost the receivership hundreds of thousands of dollars and damaged the Uncle Nearest brand.
In a separate filing Monday, Young identified five potential appraisers for the estate’s Martha’s Vineyard property, as required by a March 16 court order. The island’s appraisal market is thin — his real estate contact reported that just two or three appraisers handle the majority of the work. Of the five identified, one has retired, one did not return calls, and one appeared reluctant after asking whether the property was “the one with the lawsuits.” Two appraisers indicated availability: Bill Cleary, who could complete an appraisal within 21 to 28 days, and Matthew Bellas, who recently appraised the property for the proposed buyers’ lender and said he could deliver an updated appraisal within 14 days.
The sanctions motion, including the gag order request, is pending before Judge Atchley. No hearing date has been set.•
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