FRANKFORT, Ky., April 28, 2026 – The Kentucky Court of Appeals will convene Thursday, May 7, in Owensboro to hear oral arguments in a Hopkins County civil case on appeal. Proceedings are open to the public and will take place at 11 a.m. CDT in Courtroom 4A of the Holbrook Judicial Center, 100 E. 2nd St.

Court of Appeals Judge Audra Jean Eckerle will preside, hearing the appeal and cross-appeals with fellow Court of Appeals Judges Allison Jones and Lisa P. Jones.

Nearly all cases heard by the Kentucky Court of Appeals come to it on appeal from a lower court. If a case is tried in Circuit Court or District Court and the losing parties involved are not satisfied with the outcome, they may ask for a higher court to review the correctness of the trial court’s decision. Some cases, such as criminal case acquittals and divorces, may not be appealed. In a divorce case, however, child custody and property rights decisions may be appealed. Cases are not retried in the Court of Appeals. Only the record of the original court trial is reviewed, with attorneys presenting the legal issues to the court for a decision.

Fourteen judges, two elected from each of seven appellate court districts, serve on the Court of Appeals. The judges are divided into panels of three to review and decide cases, with the majority determining the decision. The panels do not sit permanently in one location but travel throughout the state to hear cases.

Oral arguments

Thursday, May 7
11 a.m. CDT
JEAN H. RAMSEY v. FRANK RAMSEY, III, AS EXECUTOR OF THE ESTATE OF FRANK V. RAMSEY, JR.
AND
CYNTHIA RAMSEY COOPER v. FRANK RAMSEY, III, AS EXECUTOR OF THE ESTATE OF FRANK V. RAMSEY, JR.
AND
FRANK RAMSEY, III, AS EXECUTOR OF THE ESTATE OF FRANK V. RAMSEY, JR., ET AL. v. CYNTHIA RAMSEY COOPER

2025-CA-0257, 2025-CA-0267, 2025-CA-0440

Presiding Judge: Hon. Audra J. Eckerle
Associate Judges: Hon. Allison E. Jones and Hon. Lisa P. Jones

Appellant (“Widow”) and Frank Ramsey, Jr. (“Husband”) were married for 64 years but had been legally separated since at least 2011. In 2013, the parties entered an Agreement as to Property Rights and Maintenance (“Agreement”). Widow claims that Husband did not disclose a separate valuation for the mineral rights attached to certain real property. When Husband died, Widow sued his Estate claiming that the value of the mineral rights was fraudulently withheld from her during the separation negotiations. She sought to set aside the Agreement in favor of her dower rights. On cross motions for summary judgment, the Hopkins Circuit Court found that the express language of the 2013 Agreement precludes, as a matter of law, the Widow’s application to set aside the property settlement and that her claim of fraud was factually unsupported. Widow appeals, arguing that the Trial Court erred, as there are genuine issues of material fact.

Hopkins County, Hon. Christopher Bryan Oglesby

Attorneys for Appellants: Daniel Ernest Hitchcock and William Deatherage, Jr.
Attorneys for Appellees: Elizabeth Catesby Woodford, Joe Ashby Evans, III, and Thomas Walcutt Miller

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