Uncle Nearest’s Legal War Escalates with Explosive CFO Lawsuit

Nearest Green Distillery has been in trouble for a while. The distillery is at odds with a lender after a massive debt suddenly came to light. Now the founders are suing the company’s chief financial officer, which takes the case in an entirely new direction.

Fawn and Keith Weaver, founders of Nearest Green Distillery, part of Uncle Nearest Tennessee Whiskey, have taken Michael Senzaki, the company’s former CFO, to court.

According to the founders, Senzaki bears central responsibility for the company’s financial collapse. The complaint alleges serious misconduct.

The founders say that during his tenure, Senzaki systematically abused his position. He allegedly manipulated invoices to make it appear that payments to suppliers had been made, while funds were in fact transferred to businesses he controlled.

He is also accused of abusing his financial authority in stock transactions, which the Weavers say caused significant financial damage.

In addition, Senzaki allegedly concealed obligations and hid the true financial condition of Uncle Nearest. On the surface, the distillery looked healthy, but behind the scenes major problems were already mounting.

According to the complaint, these issues came to light only after Senzaki left the company. By then, it was unfortunately too late.

A few months later, in July 2025, the situation escalated when the primary lender, Farm Credit Mid-America, called in loans worth more than 108 million euros.

Ultimately, the distillery was placed under receivership, with a court-appointed trustee taking control of all its assets. The Weavers immediately filed an objection.

Alongside the civil suit against Senzaki, multiple legal proceedings involving Uncle Nearest are underway. Among them is a motion to prevent the insolvency administrator from sharing sensitive company information with potential asset buyers.

The various lawsuits highlight just how complex the situation around Uncle Nearest has become, now with the added twist of an allegedly shady CFO.

It’s up to the courts to bring clarity and chart the distillery’s path forward. Until a final ruling is issued, the future of the distillery and the brand remains uncertain.