January 7, 2026
The Weavers claim because of the narrative, they were forced to cancel speaking engagements, which cost them more than $1 million.
Fawn and Keith Weaver, co-founders of the popular Uncle Nearest Whiskey brand, have filed a civil lawsuit against former chief financial officer, Michael Senzaki, over allegations of fraud and abuse of power, The Spirit Business reports.
In a complaint filed in Bedford County Chancery Court, the Weavers claim a massive amount of hidden information came to light following his departure in 2024. Senzaki allegedly abused his position by adjusting invoices to make it look like vendor payments were settled all while redirecting money and forging stock transfer documents using Fawn’s equity without her consent.
As a result, the company and Weavers individually, suffered personal and financial ridicule.
The litigation seeks compensatory and punitive damages in accusing the former CFO of abusing his financial authority and trust by hiding liabilities and manipulating financial systems, all while pushing the narrative that the company was thriving during a crucial growth period.
According to Tullahoma News, due to the abuse of power, the Weavers allege Senzaki constructed a false public narrative to portray the founders as being personally responsible for Uncle Nearest’s corporate debt.
In July 2025, the company’s main lender, Farm Credit Mid-America, filed a federal lawsuit claiming Uncle Nearest and the Weavers defaulted on over $108 million in loans and breaching loan terms.
In the civil complaint, Fawn and Keith alleged they never personally guaranteed loans with the lender but it was Senzaki and unnamed co-conspirators who encouraged third parties to believe otherwise.
The Weavers claim because of the narrative, they were forced to cancel speaking engagements, costing them more than $1 million, in addition to freezing almost $9.75 million in funding for Keith’s unrelated business ideas.
Amid the Weaver’s legal battles, Fawn claims most of the narratives to be a “smear campaign” against her, her husband and the company. During a fireside chat at the October 2025 “Inc. 5000 Conference,” the popular business owner spoke out on the journey of entrepreneurship, saying there will always be a time when it seems things just aren’t working out.
However, she encouraged the audience to look at the silver lining.
“Every entrepreneur is going to have a moment in time where it looks like all is lost,” Weaver said. “The only difference between those who have been the most successful entrepreneurs in American history and those who have failed are those who gave up in the in between.”
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