The Louisiana Court of Appeal, on May 30, 2026, allowed Jessica Gooden Walker to pursue part of her long‑running lawsuit against her uncle Robert E. Blake Jr. over the management of her mother’s estate.
Under the original 2003 will, Wilma Letitia Blake Gooden’s assets were placed into a trust for her daughters, with her brother appointed executor and trustee. Walker alleges he transferred almost 300 acres of land from the estate to himself and later sold the property to businesses linked to him without informing her.
The appeal court noted that Blake’s actions in May 2005—exchanging shares in Emfield Development for estate land and transferring two tracts for $104,534—were recorded in a promissory note rather than a direct cash payment. It also highlighted his subsequent sales in 2006‑07 that yielded substantial profit.
While a lower court dismissed most of Walker’s claims for being filed too late, the appellate judges clarified that the executor and trustee roles are distinct. Because Blake held both titles, the deadline for trustee claims did not apply to the estate‑management allegations.
Consequently, the court revived Walker’s claims against Blake’s handling of the estate but kept his argument that she could not sue as a beneficiary dismissed. The decision leaves the question of improper conduct unresolved, to be decided in future proceedings.
In a separate ruling, the court cancelled the $10,000 damages award that had been granted for delays in distributing trust assets, citing procedural errors in the original award.
Walker, a long‑time resident of Rapides Parish, says the revival gives her family a chance to recover property that was wrongfully transferred. She remains determined to see the estate’s final accounting reviewed by a judge.
The appellate panel’s next step will be a hearing scheduled for July 12, 2026, where evidence of the 2005 transactions will be examined, potentially setting a precedent for estate‑trust disputes in Louisiana.