Editor’s note: This is a developing story and will be updated periodically with new information. If you have tips about what’s going on at Uncle Nearest, please get in touch by emailing me ([email protected]) or texting me on Signal (dinfontay.11). Anonymity available.—Dave.

In late June, Uncle Nearest cofounder took to Instagram to let her 300,000+ followers know she’d be taking a break from posting to work on a book project. Anybody who has watched Fawn Weaver’s spectacular rise over the past decade, as she launched the Tennessee firm in homage to the unsung Black distiller that taught Jack Daniel how to make whiskey, then grew it into a mainstream-media darling before the loans came due, can attest to just how much she used social media, and may have suspected there was more to the story of her self-suspension from it.

It looks like there was: according to a filing by Weaver’s new attorney Wednesday with Judge Charles Atchley of the Eastern District of Tennessee, Uncle Nearest’s court-appointed receiver has “terminated” her in advance of a pending sale.

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Ken Wyatt4 months ago

Thanks for the excellent reporting.

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Dave InfanteAuthor4 months ago

Ah, appreciate the kind words, Ken. What a saga, huh?

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Ken Wyatt4 months ago

Totally. Look forward to more reporting and chatting about the business sometime. Nice to see someone really pointing out what's happening today. Independent is very important.

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Dave InfanteAuthor4 months ago

I certainly agree. The Uncle Nearest mess has been particularly, uh, "messy," but there plenty of others out there for those willing to look. But so few outlets are. I wish I had the money to hire another reporter! Maybe someday.

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Ken Wyatt4 months ago

I share your emails with others and tell them to support.

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Brenda Kilgour4 months ago

Until you hear it from the receiver I wouldn't give this a lot of credence. This is the same person who announced the receivership was also "terminated."