The children of Jamey Noel’s late brother filed a lawsuit last year over their uncle’s handling of their father’s estate. They say he sold their father’s house for less than what it was worth, took money from the estate and ultimately gave them less inheritance than they were entitled to.
Last week, a mediator in the case filed a report with the court saying that the parties recently met and that "the matter was successfully resolved,” and that attorneys will file settlement documents. Details of the settlement are not yet available.
Kasey Noel, Jamey Noel’s daughter and the buyer of his brother’s house, is also listed as a defendant in the suit.
Larry Wilder, one of Jamey Noel’s attorneys in the case, said in a text message the meeting with the mediator was productive, and that “after many hours of thoughtful exchange the parties entered into an agreement that each thought was fair and reasonable.” He did not provide details on the settlement, which is currently confidential.
The tentative agreement will be submitted to the court for consideration.
Attorneys for Leon Noel’s children and Kasey Noel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
William “Leon” Noel died in late 2018, and Jamey Noel was soon after appointed to administer his estate. According to the court complaint, Jamey Noel closed the estate account in 2020 after distributing more than $66,000 to the three children.
But information that came out as part of the massive criminal investigation of Jamey Noel that started in 2023. raised questions about what happened after their father died. Last March, Leon Noel’s children petitioned to reopen his estate case.
According to the lawsuit, Jamey Noel sold his brother’s house to Kasey for $180,000, which was allegedly less than it was worth. It says he also gave Kasey $36,000 in equity in the home and didn’t reimburse the estate for it.
Attorney Amy Wheatley, representing Leon Noel’s children, asked the court to find that home sale was void from the start.
The complaint also alleges improper transactions by Jamey Noel. That includes using money from the Utica Township Volunteer Firefighters Association — also known as New Chapel EMS — to pay for work on one of Leon Noel's properties, then reimbursing himself from the estate.
Jamey Noel’s charges in his criminal case include theft from New Chapel, which he operated at the time.
The civil case says he also took out more than $50,000 from the estate to buy a classic car, later reimbursing that from New Chapel.
In a response to the complaint, Jamey Noel denied depriving his family members of their full inheritance, selling his brother’s house at a discount and taking money from New Chapel to deposit into the estate.
He is currently in prison, after pleading guilty to more than two dozen felonies last year for crimes during his time as sheriff and operating New Chapel, which provided emergency services in Southern Indiana.
Jamey Noel was ordered to pay more than $3 million in restitution according to the terms of his plea agreement. He’s also named in multiple other civil cases, including two brought by the Indiana Attorney General's office, and could be ordered to pay more.
A status conference in this case is set for Sept. 16.
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