Entrepreneur and Uncle Nearest founder Fawn Weaver has publicly pushed back against ongoing legal action involving her award-winning spirits company, calling the dispute “an attempted robbery in broad daylight” as she prepares to appear in court next week.
In an emotional video message shared on Instagram, Weaver thanked supporters for rallying behind her during what she described as an intense period of scrutiny and media attention.
While she declined to engage with press narratives surrounding the case, she made clear that she believes the legal filings that prompted the dispute misrepresent the truth.
“What we’re witnessing is literally an attempted robbery in broad daylight,” Weaver said. “You can file whatever you want. You can say whatever you want. But when it comes to the court, you’ve got to understand—and you’ve got to go into cross-examination. That’s when the details come out.”
A Court Date Framed as a Turning Point
Weaver confirmed that a public court hearing is scheduled for Monday at 10 a.m. in Knoxville, Tennessee, noting that she has been waiting months for the opportunity to present her case before a judge she described as fair and unswayed by “shenanigans.”
“I’ve been waiting for this day to go into court before this judge for about five months,” she said. “I think people would be really amazed to see the difference between what is true and what has been filed.”
While Weaver did not outline specific legal claims in her video, her comments suggest a broader conflict over ownership, control, or intellectual property tied to Uncle Nearest, one of the fastest-growing American whiskey brands of the past decade.
Building a Brand—and Challenging an Industry
Weaver also framed the dispute within the larger context of her stated mission: to build what she calls “the next great American brand,” and to do so outside the traditional power structures of the spirits industry.
“I was very clear that I was setting out to build the next great American brand—hard stop,” she said. “And I also said I would be the first person to build, lead, and own a spirits conglomerate that had not been founded by, led by, or owned by a white male.”
According to Weaver, that ambition made conflict inevitable in an industry she described as historically gatekept since before the founding of the United States.
“When you come into an industry like that, you can walk through the gate—or you can tear the gate down so everybody else can come through,” she said. “I was real clear about which one I was doing.”
Standing Firm Amid Scrutiny
Despite the legal pressure, Weaver stated that she remains focused and undeterred, crediting the Uncle Nearest team and supporters for sustaining the company’s momentum.
“I started this process unbothered and unmoved,” she said. “I remain unbothered, unmoved.”
As the case moves into the courtroom, Weaver’s remarks signal that the dispute may carry implications beyond a single company—touching on broader questions of ownership, power, and access in one of America’s most lucrative consumer industries.
