Judge orders $63,237.08 reimbursement to widow before distribution of late husband's estate

A county probate judge on the bench resolved a contested claim in the estate of John David Blair, finding that his surviving spouse, Greta Louise Blair, is entitled to reimbursement of $63,237.08 prior to distribution of estate proceeds.

The judge heard competing arguments and documentary proof over multiple hours. Mrs. Blair testified that she withdrew $32,500 from a Raymond James 401(k) in July 2021 and $26,733.36 from an IRA in September 2023 to fund two buy‑ins so her husband could acquire membership interests in Parthonon Plumbing. She said the parties agreed he would repay her when the company began issuing dividends. Counsel for the decedent's daughter, Caroline Krenshaw, argued Mrs. Blair's claim should be barred by Tennessee's statute of frauds and pointed to numerous deposits into Mrs. Blair's personal accounts as evidence the loans had effectively been repaid or were from other sources.

The court admitted business records and company documents including (1) a July 30, 2021 contribution agreement showing a $32,000 cash contribution for a 10% interest, (2) a later action showing a total $50,688 contribution and 19% ownership, and (3) a membership interest redemption agreement reflecting a $198,500 company payment to the estate after the decedent's death. Mrs. Blair also introduced her Raymond James loan and IRA distribution records and Bank of America and U.S. Bank statements showing transfers to the decedent's accounts.

The judge found Mrs. Blair established that she withdrew and transferred the funds as claimed, that she performed the actions the parties agreed she would perform, and that the documentary record supports her account of the buy‑ins and subsequent membership redemption proceeds. Citing equitable considerations and the partial‑performance evidence the court concluded the statute‑of‑frauds defense did not bar relief in this case. The court awarded Mrs. Blair $63,237.08 (the amount she requested for the original loans, penalties and interest) and ordered that sum deducted from the $198,500 proceeds now held in the estate before the remaining funds are divided between the spouse and the decedent's child in accordance with intestate succession.

Kristen Ammonette, counsel for Caroline Krenshaw, argued during the hearing that there was no writing signed by the decedent documenting a promise to repay, and that Mrs. Blair's own account activity included more than $74,000 in deposits after the initial loan dates; Ammonette urged the court to deny the claim. Mary Liz Clemens and Philip Irwin, counsel for Mrs. Blair, emphasized the contemporaneous corporate records, the 401(k) loan agreement showing payroll repayment terms, and the membership redemption agreement that resulted in $198,500 paid to the estate.

The judge entered a judgment reflecting the ruling and directed that the $63,237.08 claim be satisfied from the funds paid to the estate by Parthonon Plumbing before any equal division of the remaining proceeds between Mrs. Blair and the decedent's child. The court made clear it was resolving the claim under probate law and equitable principles rather than in the family‑law context. No further enforcement steps or additional deadlines were announced on the record; the clerk will incorporate the court's findings into a written order.