J. Don BrockThe Tennessee Court of Appeals has agreed with a Hamilton County Chancery Court ruling that upheld the will of the late Astec Industries Chief Executive J. Don Brock.
Some of Brock’s adopted children had appealed an order by Chancellor Jeffrey M. Atherton, who earlier this year dismissed their contesting of Brock’s will for lack of standing.
They alleged the will was the product of fraud or undue influence. Introduced were multiple prior wills that appeared to be facially valid and properly executed in which all or some of the children who contested the document were disinherited, according to the appeals court.
Brock had founded Astec Industries, one of the nation’s biggest makers of asphalt-paving equipment, in 1972. The CEO battled mesothelioma cancer, which claimed his life in March 2015.
Brock and his first wife, Lynne Williams Brock, adopted five children in 1983, the original lawsuit filed in 2015 contesting the will said. Brock never had any biological children but eventually adopted seven total.