Kellie Pickler Scores One Over Her In-Laws In Nasty Battle Over Late Husband’s Property

Amid the heated legal battle between Kellie Pickler and her in-laws, the court has made a ruling in her favor.

Following the death of her husband, Kyle Jacobs, the “American Idol” alum has been embroiled in a contentious dispute with his parents, Reed and Sharon Jacobs, over his property and estate matters.

Their back-and-forth has involved multiple legal filings, including a subpoena issued by the parents seeking a lengthy list of Kyle's belongings. Now, the court has sided with Pickler, delivering a major win for her. 

In a November 25 decision, the judge dismissed Reed and Sharon’s subpoena earlier issued to Pickler, deeming it invalid and "unusual on its face," according to US Magazine.

The judge referenced the items the paperwork had demanded Pickler to produce, noting that Pickler mentioned it might be illegal for her to transport the firearm. 

"They are not papers for inspection or copying that can be easily supplied to counsel or transported to the location listed in the subpoena," the judge pointed out in his ruling.  "Rather, they are numerous and, in some instances, large/heavy items of tangible personal property."

The ruling further detailed that the court was “unclear” about how Reed and Sharon wanted to handle the subpoena, and they may have misunderstood the process, possibly expecting Pickler to hand over the items or allow them to inspect them directly.

However, the couple had gone about their subpoena the wrong way as they had not filed a formal complaint against Pickler. Ultimately, the judge found the subpoena void and unenforceable in the estate case.

The ruling leaves open the possibility that Reed and Sharon could pursue a separate legal matter, but for now, Pickler has successfully shut down their attempt to obtain property through the subpoena.

The court's recent decision comes months after Pickler formally objected to Reed and Sharon's subpoena, detailing several reasons why she would not comply.

According to The Blast, the 39-year-old singer argued that the document was not a valid court order and therefore should not expose her to contempt.

She also maintained that any dispute over Kyle's belongings should be handled in her civil petition, not through probate proceedings.

Pickler further asserted that the subpoena failed to follow the required legal process for claiming personal property. The extensive list of items included Kyle's gun collection, a Samurai sword, jewelry, baseball card albums, school awards, musical instruments, and several electronics, such as an iPhone and hard drives.

In the showdown between the “I wonder” hitmaker and her in-laws, she has also moved to have them removed from overseeing her late husband's affairs, which The Blast earlier reported. 

Initially, after Kyle's death, Pickler declined to serve as administrator, which led to his parents being appointed instead. However, Pickler has opposed their roles and even demanded an accounting of how they have managed the estate since their appointment.

In response, the parents fired back with their own motion, urging the court to deny Pickler's requests.

The Blast reported that another major point of contention between Pickler and her in-laws involves the arrangements surrounding Kyle's cremation.

Reed and Sharon have sought details about Pickler's communications with the funeral home, particularly regarding Kyle's remains and the personal items that were returned during the process.

As part of their efforts, they issued a subpoena to Harpeth Memorial Gardens Funeral Home & Cremation Center, demanding documents related to the cremation. They claim the funeral home has not yet complied with the subpoena, despite raising no formal objections.

Kyle tragically died by suicide in February 2023. Per The Blast, toxicology reports revealed months later confirmed there were no drugs in his system at the time of his death.

However, medical records indicated he had been dealing with several health challenges, including pseudoseizures (psychogenic nonepileptic seizures), gastrointestinal bleeding, liver complications, and chronic alcohol use.

On the morning he died, Pickler awoke to find that Kyle was not in bed. She and her assistant searched the home but were unable to open the door to an upstairs office.

Authorities were called to the scene, where police discovered Kyle had died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The case was officially ruled a suicide.