A woman posing as “Dorothy Chestnut” falsely claimed to be the sole heir to the property. (AI image)
A Tennessee appeals court has revived the fraud claim of a woman who discovered, after returning to the United States from abroad in 2021, that the house she had inherited from her late brother had been sold without her knowledge using a fake identity and forged documents. Chesnut had acquired the house in Cottontown, Tennessee, in 2012 after her brother, James Upchurch, died without leaving a will, according to court records . A woman using a fake identity had claimed to be the rightful heir. In its Thursday ruling, the court allowed Barbara Chesnut to pursue her fraud claim against the company involved in the sale but upheld the dismissal of her negligence claim. His estate was divided among several heirs, and Chesnut arranged to buy the property using her inheritance along with additional funds. She lived in the house before moving to the United Arab Emirates around the time the estate proceedings were being completed. After returning to the US and learning about the transactions, Chesnut contacted the police.
The investigation eventually led to Podczervinski, who had previously lived in the house with Chesnut’s permission, pleading guilty to the property theft.
Chesnut approached the Sumner County Circuit Court in August 2022, seeking to have her ownership legally recognised. Her lawsuit sought damages of at least $1 million. In March 2025, the circuit court ruled in favour of Rudy Title.
She named the title company, the original buyer, Gleaves and later purchasers in her case. Those records, she maintained, would have identified the people legally entitled to inherit Upchurch’s property. She accused Rudy Title of negligence in preparing the transaction and also alleged fraudulent conduct. It concluded that Chesnut had not shown that she relied on information or actions provided by the company in managing her own affairs. The court dismissed her entire case.