On 23 October 2026, the Kentucky Court of Appeals issued a writ of prohibition that barred the Montgomery District Court from probing Tamara Williams’ mental capacity after she rejected the will of her husband, Julian D. Williams, to claim a larger share of the estate.
Julian, who died in February 2023, had set up a trust that divided income equally among his wife and his two adult children from a prior marriage. Under the trust, Tamara’s share would have been cut to a statutory spousal portion, but she exercised her right to reject the will in November 2023, thereby entitling her to a larger portion.
In response, Jeffrey C. Williams and Leslie A. Williams filed a motion in district court, alleging Tamara lacked the mental capacity to make the decision and that her nephew and niece had improperly influenced her. The stepchildren claimed both had power of attorney and were the only ones with insight into her health.
The Montgomery District Court allowed both parties to exchange written questions and depositions, but denied the stepchildren’s request for an independent medical examination. It ordered Tamara to attend a formal deposition under oath, a move she challenged as an overreach of its probate jurisdiction.
Special Judge Eddy Coleman of the Montgomery Circuit Court rejected Tamara’s writ of prohibition, citing earlier decisions that granted district courts authority over routine probate matters. The Kentucky Court of Appeals reversed that stance, noting that contested cases involving mental capacity must be heard in circuit court and that the district court was acting beyond its jurisdiction.
The appellate panel’s opinion, authored by Judge Glenn E. Acree, directs the Montgomery Circuit Court to issue a formal order instructing the district court to halt its investigation. Tamara’s decision to claim the statutory share can now proceed unless the stepchildren file a separate civil suit in circuit court.